OC Register: Angels hold on to win after Shohei Ohtani leaves with a blister

[AngelsWin.com]

• Los Angeles Angels’ Ian Kinsler, right, celebrates his two-run home run with Kaleb Cowart, center, as Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez waits during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches during the first inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

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• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches during the first inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches during the first inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Zack Cozart #7 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is out at first as Hunter Dozier #17 of the Kansas City Royals makes the tag during the first inning of a game at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws during the third inning of the team’s baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• Los Angeles Angels Michael Hermosillo, right, sprints to first base as Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Ian Kennedy makes a throw to get him out during the second inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches during the second inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches during the first inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Ian Kennedy #31 of the Kansas City Royals pitches during the first inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim walks to the dugout after striking out during the third inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani watches a pitch during the third inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim walks to the dugout during the fourth inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Mike Moustakas #8 scores on an RBI single by Alex Gordon #4 of the Kansas City Royals as Martin Maldonado #12 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim looks on during the fourth inning of a game at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• Kansas City Royals’ Mike Moustakas, left, scores past Los Angeles Angels catcher Martin Maldonado during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• Kansas City Royals’ Mike Moustakas is welcomed in the dugout after scoring during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, third from right, is removed from the baseball game against the Kansas City Royals during the fifth inning in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani, right, leaves the baseball game against the Kansas City Royals during the fifth inning in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• Kansas City Royals’ Whit Merrifield, back, is tagged out by Los Angeles Angels second baseman Ian Kinsler while trying to steal second base during the fifth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Ian Kinsler hits a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Ian Kinsler #3 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim reacts to hitting a two-run homerun during the sixth inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Luis Valbuena #18 congrautlates Ian Kinsler #3 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at the dugout after his two-run homerun during the sixth inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• ANAHEIM, CA – JUNE 06: Martin Maldonado #12 congratulates Justin Upton #8 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after his solo homerun during the seventh inning of a game against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium on June 6, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

• Los Angeles Angels’ Justin Upton, left, celebrates his solo home run with Luis Valbuena during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

• Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Scott Barlow, right, tosses the ball to first baseman Hunter Dozier to put out Los Angeles Angels’ Zack Cozart during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Wednesday, June 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong)

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ANAHEIM — Two days in a row, the Angels have gotten a win with an asterisk.

The Angels’ 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night included Shohei Ohtani walking off the mound with a recurrence of his blister problem.

A night earlier, they won a game that began with Andrelton Simmons spraining his ankle on the dugout steps, an injury that landed him on the disabled list.

Ohtani isn’t likely to go on the DL because of the blister, though. When it affected him in April, he didn’t even miss a start.

While there was certainly some frustration with Ohtani’s blister, at least the Angels were able to pull out the victory, thanks to Ian Kinsler’s tie-breaking two-run homer in the sixth and Justin Upton’s insurance solo shot in the seventh. It was Kinsler’s fourth homer in the last nine games and Upton’s third in the last six.

That provided enough cushion to withstand Justin Anderson giving up two runs in the eighth before Blake Parker recorded a four-out save. The three relievers before Anderson – Jim Johnson, Cam Bedrosian and José Álvarez – had all worked scoreless innings.

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They were summoned to work early because Ohtani lasted just four innings before coming out with a blister on his right middle finger.

Ohtani had blister issues periodically in Japan, and he’d also dealt with one during his April 17 start against the Boston Red Sox. Ohtani was pulled after two innings in that game, with the blister clearly affecting his command.

Ohtani ended up making his next start in Houston a week later, his normal schedule. Ohtani said after that game he’d formed a callus, and generally, that solved the blister issues for the rest of the season. There had been no indication of a problem since, and he’d posted a 2.16 ERA in his previous four starts.

He came out looking normal in this start, with his fastball hitting 99 mph in the first inning, and he didn’t allow a run in the first three innings.

In the fourth, though, he gave up a single to Mike Moustakas, who took second when Ohtani missed badly with a pitch that catcher Martín Maldonado couldn’t handle. Moustakas scored on a two-out single, and Ohtani walked two more hitters in the inning before getting the third out.

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When Ohtani was warming up to start the fifth, though, trainer Eric Munson was summoned to the mound. After a short discussion with Manager Mike Scioscia and Munson, Ohtani came out of the game, clearly looking frustrated.

At that point, the Angels hitters were frustrated too. Without Simmons, Ohtani or Albert Pujols, who has a sore knee, the Angels were struggling to convert their scoring opportunities.

They left the bases loaded in the second and left two on in the third. In the fifth, they scored one on back-to-back doubles by Kinsler and Zack Cozart, but they had the bases loaded with one out and couldn’t get any more.

They finally got the lead on the two homers, and they needed all the runs. Anderson walked two and threw a critical wild pitch in the eighth, allowing the Royals to cut the lead to 4-3.

More to come on this story.

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