Angels’ Ohtani hurting after Astros claim victory
AMERICAN LEAGUE
ASTROS 6, ANGELS 5 (11)
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Houston Astros didn’t even need to lift their bats from their shoulders to chase Shohei Ohtani from another wild performance in the second inning.
Almost four hours later, Ohtani provided another worry for Angels fans when the two-way star said he felt discomfort in his pitching arm after his first home mound start since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Alex Bregman hit an RBI single in the 11th inning, Blake Taylor escaped two bases-loaded jams to earn his first major-league victory, and the Astros rallied for a 6-5 victory over Los Angeles on Sunday.
Before those two dramatic extra innings, Ohtani started the day by issuing five walks and getting only five outs before getting pulled from his second rough start of the season. Afterward, the Angels sent Ohtani to get an MRI on his pitching arm, raising concern for a player who has worked his way back from elbow ligament replacement surgery in late 2018.
“That first inning was outstanding,” said Angels Manager Joe Maddon, who apparently wasn’t aware Ohtani was headed for an MRI during his postgame interview. “Velocity was up. He looked very comfortable.”
Those positive signs won’t mean much if Ohtani has another injury setback. Any sustained absence would be a double blow to the strug- gling Angels.
After a strong eight-pitch first inning, Ohtani walked his first three batters of the second. He struck out Houston’s next two hitters, but walked Dustin Garneau and George Springer to force in runs.
Maddon pulled Ohtani after he had thrown 42 pitches in the second
and his velocity flagged. Before the injury news, it looked like mild progress: Ohtani failed to get an out last weekend in Oakland while facing six batters in his first start since 2018.
YANKEES 9, RED SOX 7 Aaron Judge extended his career-best streak by hitting a home run in a fifth consecutive game, then added the go-ahead blast in the eighth inning to lead host New York over Boston in a three-game sweep of the Red Sox.
ATHLETICS 3, MARINERS 2 Ramon Laureano broke out of a slump with a three-run home run, Chris Bassitt became the first Oakland starter to earn a victory this season.
ORIOLES 5, RAYS 1 Hanser Alberto doubled in the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning, Renato Nunez and Pat Valaika homered, and host Baltimore beat Tampa Bay.
TWINS 3, INDIANS 1 Mitch Garver hit his first home run of the season as host Minnesota defeated Cleveland.
WHITE SOX 9, ROYALS 2 White Sox prospect Nick Madrigal had the first four hits of his career, including two during a seven-run seventh inning, and visiting Chicago beat Kansas City.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
BRAVES 4, METS 0 Kyle Wright and the Atlanta bullpen combined on a 10-hit shutout as the Braves won their fifth in a row, beating New York. Johan Camargo hit a home run in the fourth.
CUBS 2, PIRATES 1 (11) Javier Baez singled through a drawn-in infield in the 11th inning, scoring David Bote from third base to give Chicago a victory over visiting Pittsburgh.
DODGERS 3, DIAMONDBACKS 0 Clayton Kershaw threw 52/3 sharp innings in his season debut, NL MVP Cody Bellinger hit his first home run of the season and Los Angeles beat Arizona in Phoenix.
ROCKIES 9, PADRES 6 Antonio Senzatela (2-0) pitched six innings of one-run ball, designated hitter Matt Kemp homered for a second consecutive game and Colorado held off San Diego in Denver.
INTERLEAGUE
RANGERS 9, GIANTS 5 Willie Calhoun hit a tiebreaking sacrifice fly after the Giants walked the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Joey Gallo followed with a three-run home run and visiting Texas beat San Francisco.
REDS 4-4, TIGERS 3-0 Trevor Bauer made short work of host Detroit, throwing a two-hit shutout in Cincinnati’s 4-0 victory that gave the Reds a sweep of Major League Baseball’s first seven-inning doubleheader. Shogo Akiyama hit an RBI single in the top of the seventh that sent the Reds to a 4-3 victory in the opener.