OC Register: Angels’ Shohei Ohtani find motivation where he can as 2021 winds down

[AngelsWin.com]

ANAHEIM ― What’s next for Shohei Ohtani?

Earlier this week it appeared Ohtani, the prohibitive favorite for the American League Most Valuable Player award, might be done pitching until 2022 because of soreness. After matching his major-league career high by throwing eight innings Sunday against the Oakland A’s, Ohtani suggested he has at least one start left in him over the Angels’ final 12 games of the season.

“I need to keep on throwing,” he said through his interpreter. “Every time I throw I learn something and get better. I’m going to pitch next year and beyond. The whole experience from this year is going to help me down the road.

By allowing just two solo home runs in the Angels’ 3-2 loss, Ohtani lowered his ERA for the season to 3.28. He added to his innings total of 123 ⅓, easily the most by any Angels pitcher this year and the most by Ohtani since his 2016 season in Japan.

Suddenly, Ohtani’s health is no longer in question. The right-hander threw 55 split-fingered fastballs Sunday and seemed no worse for the wear. He threw his fastest pitch of the afternoon, a 99-mph fastball, in the eighth inning.

“The biggest goal I had coming into this year was staying healthy and finishing healthy,” Ohtani said. “In order to do that, I felt like I needed to balance out certain pitches at certain points in the season because some pitches are more stressful on my elbow than others. We only have a couple games left and I feel good right now physically. I felt like it was time to test out the splitter.”

The same process that led Ohtani to the mound Sunday will determine whether or not he pitches again. The Angels’ front office never laid out a predetermined number of innings for their two-way star. Rather, Manager Joe Maddon said, they have been charting his schedule one start at a time, at times altering his teammates’ turn in the order depending on Ohtani’s health.

“It’s consistent with the whole attitude we’ve had all year where not going to baby him, just let him go out and play baseball,” Maddon said. “Had he come back (Friday) and said, ‘Listen I’m still a bit tender,’ we probably would’ve gone in a different direction. (Pitching coach Matt Wise) said it was one of his better side pieces. Let him go. It’s consistent with what we’ve been doing.”

If Ohtani’s MVP case needs any help, it’s possible he can further his cause with a quality outing against either the Seattle Mariners or Texas Rangers, the Angels’ two opponents for their final nine games of the season.

There’s also the matter of his hitting. Ohtani has ceded the lead in the American League home run race to the Toronto Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero. Guerrero has 46 home runs. Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez has 45. Ohtani ranks third with 44.

Since hitting his 40th home run of the season on Aug. 18, Ohtani is batting .207 with four homers in his last 25 games. When the Angels dropped out of the playoff hunt, Ohtani conceded that it became difficult to stay motivated. But he is paying attention to the leader in the home run race.

“It’s something I’m shooting for obviously because it’s within reach,” he said.

Maddon sees room for Ohtani’s final two weeks of 2021 to benefit him and the team in 2022.

“It’s not going to move the needle in the present tense, but down the road who knows,” Maddon said. “Maybe if he gets two more starts, maybe you’ll be more comfortable giving him 150 (innings) next year. It eventually comes due in a sense. We may be able to do more with him by him playing (Sunday) and the next time out.”

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ALSO

The Angels announced their starting rotation for the four-game series beginning Monday against the Houston Astros: Right-hander Jaime Barría will oppose left-hander Framber Valdez on Monday; left-hander Packy Naughton pitches against right-hander Jose Urquidy on Tuesday; right-hander Janson Junk will start Wednesday opposite right-hander Luis Garcia; and Alex Cobb will pitch Thursday against right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. … Ohtani became the first starting pitcher to be intentionally walked twice in one season since MLB first began tracking the statistic in 1955. … The Angels’ 15 losses against the A’s this season matched their franchise record for most losses in a season against a single opponent (Seattle in 2001 and Texas in 2013).

UP NEXT

Angels RHP Jaime Barría (2-3, 4.93 ERA) vs. Houston LHP Framber Valdez (10-5, 3.26 ERA), 6:38 p.m. Monday, Bally Sports West, 830 AM

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[Angel Oracle]

With two more starts, he could reach 135 innings, making the minimum 162 innings needed to qualify for ERA title in 2022 obtainable.

I might tweak one thing in 2022.   Have him not DH only on days he starts.   That’s still 135 maximum DH starts, give the other 27 DH starts to Upton to go with Upton’s 60-80 OF starts minimum.

Edited September 20, 2021 by Angel Oracle