IN ROCKY START, OHTANI STILL HITS

Angels 8, Athletics 7

Shohei Ohtani earned another win on the mound despite giving up five runs in a nightmare fourth inning, and he also tripled, doubled and singled in the Angels’ 8-7 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Thursday.

Ohtani (4-0) had his rockiest start in recent memory, yielding at least five runs and two homers for the first time in 18 starts since last July while also hitting a career-high three batters with pitches.

Nearly all of the two-way superstar’s trouble occurred in the fourth, after he had thrown three perfect innings.

“He’s human,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “I kind of had to go up and down the dugout after the next half-inning, because it was like the whole place was deflated. Everybody was like, ‘What happened?’ He’s human. He’s going to give up runs, you guys. We’re in a dogfight now. Let’s go.”

Ohtani gave up as many runs in the fourth as he had yielded in his previous 60 innings combined. He recovered to throw six innings of three-hit ball, earning his fourth victory of April while striking out eight with a fastball that topped 100 mph twice.

“The biggest part for me was to have two strong innings after that fourth inning,” Ohtani said through his translator.

Ohtani fell just short of becoming the first starting pitcher in modern major league history to hit for the cycle. He came up in the eighth with a chance to complete his second career cycle, but Esteury Ruiz caught his 389-foot drive at the warning track in center.

Notable

Yankees star Aaron Judge was back in the stadium where he hit his record 62nd homer, and Judge struck out in his only two atbats at Globe Life Ballpark in Texas before he was replaced in right field in the bottom of the fourth inning by Oswaldo Cabrera. The team said Judge is dealing with right hip discomfort.

White Sox closer Liam Hendriks could go out on a rehab assignment next week in a big step in his recovery from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The 34-year-old right-hander announced last week on Instagram that he was cancer-free.

Two-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander is slated to make a rehab start today for Binghamton, the Mets’ Double-A affiliate.