AROUND THE HORN
Angels: Shohei Ohtani struck out nine in seven innings and Andrew Velazquez homered, helping the Angels beat the Blue Jays 2-0 on Saturday. Ohtani (11-8) allowed two hits — a single for George Springer in the first, and a two-out double for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the third — in his career-best 11th win. David Fletcher had three hits and scored the winning run on Luis Rengifo’s single in the sixth. Jimmy Herget finished the two-hitter as the Angels won consecutive games after losing the previous six, blanking the Blue Jays for the second day in a row. The Angels, who won 12-0 Friday, recorded its AL-best 16th shutout. The Blue Jays wasted a strong performance by All-Star right-hander Alek Manoah (12-7), who struck out eight in seven innings. Velazquez hit his eighth homer against Anthony Bass in the ninth. He also went deep on Friday. Ohtani threw a season-high 109 pitches, 72 for strikes, in his first win since Aug. 9 at Oakland. He lowered his ERA to 2.67. Herget retired all six batters he faced for his third save in four chances. At the plate, Ohtani walked in the first, struck out in the fourth and reached on a fielder’s choice in the sixth. While awaiting a 3-2 pitch from right-hander Yimi Garcia in the eighth, Ohtani asked for time and backed out of the box. Umpire Shane Livensparger didn’t grant the request but Garcia’s pitch missed high, giving Ohtani his second walk. Already upset at Ohtani’s walk, interim Blue Jays manager John Schneider was ejected for arguing with Livensparger after Garcia walked the next batter, Mike Ford, on five pitches.
Yankees: Yankees reliever Lou Trivino got a tap on his shoulder as he warmed up in the bullpen alerting him he had on the wrong jersey: the No. 50 belonging to Jameson Taillon instead of his own 56. Trivino had pulled off his sweatshirt to throw his pitches on a cool Friday night at the Coliseum and the problem became clear. He began to warm in case he was needed to replace Wandy Peralta, who surrendered an RBI single to pinch-hitter Dermis García but finished the 2-hour, 50-minute game for his third save as the Yankees beat the Athletics 3-2. “I don’t know, it happens,” Trivino said. “... I was warming up, I wasn’t even paying attention.” A bat boy scurried out with the right jersey and Trivino made a quick change. Who told him? “I don’t know, it just happened,” said Trivino, traded by the A’s to the Yankees at the deadline along with Frankie Montas. Trivino laughed it all off, saying, “It wasn’t the first time, it’s probably not the last.”
Braves: Braves reliever Jackson Stephens was hit in the side of the head by a line drive Friday night and went to a hospital for tests. Stephens walked off the field in the ninth inning against the Cardinals and appeared to be unhurt. “He’s aware and everything but he’s going to have to go to the hospital and get some tests,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after his team’s 11-4 victory.
Brewers: Brewers reliever Trevor Rosenthal’s status for the rest of the season is in doubt due to a lat injury, the latest setback for a former All-Star closer who hasn’t pitched since the 2020 playoffs. “I think there’s still a possibility (he could return) in the regular season, but it doesn’t look great,” manager Craig Counsell said.