OC Register: Angels’ Shohei Ohtani continues to show exceptional durability

[AngelsWin.com]

TORONTO — A day after Shohei Ohtani pitched a shutout and started at DH twice, eventually leaving with what the Angels called cramps, the two-way star was back in the lineup.

Manager Phil Nevin said he checked with Ohtani on Friday morning and was assured that he was “100% ready to go.”

It’s no surprise.

Ohtani’s talent and production are off the charts, but he’s also proved to be exceptionally durable over the past three seasons.

Ohtani was in the starting lineup for the 101st time Friday, in the Angels’ 104th game.

He played 157 games in 2022 and 155 games in 2021. It’s quite a departure from when Ohtani first broke into the majors as a two-way player in 2018, when the Angels believed he needed to be off the entire day before and after he pitched.

Nevin says he checks with Ohtani regularly to see if he needs a break, and Ohtani continues to insist he’s good to go. Nothing in his performance would indicate otherwise.

Nevin said the fact Ohtani is not playing in the field makes it more reasonable to play so much without a day off.

“If he was playing a position, I think it’d be a different story,” Nevin said. “Pitching every six days certainly is a high volume. It takes a lot out you. But he conserves his energy better than anybody. He understands his body better than anybody …  I’m not taking anything away from what he does. It’s certainly a grind. And there’s nobody else that can do it.”

When Nevin was asked if he had any days off scheduled for Ohtani, he smiled and said: “Two Thursdays from now we have an off day.”

NETO SCRATCHED

Shortstop Zach Neto was a late scratch from the Angels’ lineup Friday because of lower back stiffness.

Neto has been dealing with the issue since last Saturday. He was scheduled to be back in the lineup Wednesday, before the game was rained out, and then he played in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader.

ROTATION PLANNING

Ohtani will get an extra day before his next start, which will be Thursday, the first game of a homestand against the Seattle Mariners.

Newly acquired Lucas Giolito will start twice in between Ohtani starts, taking the ball for the series finale in Atlanta on Wednesday. That would be just four days’ rest for Giolito, which is what he had been doing regularly with the Chicago White Sox. The Angels have their starters throw on at least five days’ rest.

“He is used to throwing on his fifth day,” Nevin said. “Because of that, we have no problem with that. As we go forward, there may be times where we’re going to be able to put him on that day and push somebody back.”

The Angels are undecided who will pitch Monday and Tuesday in Atlanta, Nevin said. Griffin Canning’s normal turn would fall on Monday, but the Angels could give him an extra day and use Chase Silseth, or another spot starter, on Monday. They also could have Canning pitch Monday and the spot start Tuesday.

IMPROVEMENT

Reynaldo López, who joined the Angels on Thursday after being acquired in a trade with Giolito on Wednesday night, had a rough start with the White Sox this season. He had an 8.27 ERA after his first 19 games of the season.

Since then, López has a 1.75 ERA in 24 games. Opponents have hit .148 against him in that span.

“I just made a little bit of an adjustment on my mechanics and on my fastball and I think that was pretty much it,” López said through an interpreter Friday. “It got me to the point I wanted to be. That’s where I’m at right now.”

NOTES

Infielder Brandon Drury (shoulder inflammation) took batting practice on the field against the pitching machine, with some more breaking balls than before. Nevin said Drury would repeat that workout Saturday, and then they will evaluate how to get him some at-bats. Nevin also said they are considering using Drury at third base when he comes back, because that could reduce the risk of diving. …

Catcher Logan O’Hoppe (shoulder surgery) is expected to begin taking regular batting practice with overhand pitching Saturday. He has also been receiving pitches from the machine. “I feel like I could play tonight,” O’Hoppe said. O’Hoppe is just past three months into a rehab that was expected to take four to six months. …

The Angels optioned right-hander Gerardo Reyes to create a spot for Giolito on the active roster.

UP NEXT

Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 2-7, 4.38) vs. Blue Jays (RHP Alek Manoah, 2-8, 6.10), 12:07 p.m. Saturday, Rogers Centre, Bally Sports West, 830 AM

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[Sho Way That Was A Strike]

This aged well. 

[jsnpritchett]

Lol.

 

[VladdyforHOF]

This is what happens when trying to play through injuries. Just creates more injuries in the body from overcompensation.

[Angel Oracle]

Pitching and hitting at huge levels finally taking a toll on him after 2 2/3 years?

[Angel Oracle]

Is magnesium the new bananas?

Edited July 29, 2023 by Angel Oracle

[HeavenlyHalos]

Did he just AJ the season?

[AngelsLakersFan]

17 minutes ago, HeavenlyHalos said:

Did he just AJ the season?

I can’t believe they let AJ start ghost writing articles for the OCR.

[fan_since79]

If the Angels training staff is not aware of the simple need for magnesium, well there's no hope for any competency in this organization. I mean, this is basic stuff.

 

[ettin]

2 hours ago, jsnpritchett said:

Lol.

 

Was he drinking cranberry juice in a Boston pub?

[REDneck]

The dude was eating a "fistful" of cake yesterday after the game.

Could the medical staff not supplement that with a IV of banana flavored Gatorade for his dehydrated cramping?

I mean this is a thoroughbred...pump him full of whatever you need to pump him full of.

 

And BTW why don't they have banana flavored gatorade, sounds delicious to me!

Edited July 29, 2023 by REDneck

[HeavenlyHalos]

9 hours ago, ettin said:

Was he drinking cranberry juice in a Boston pub?

haha, The Departed is one helluva film.

[Stradling]

10 hours ago, fan_since79 said:

If the Angels training staff is not aware of the simple need for magnesium, well there's no hope for any competency in this organization. I mean, this is basic stuff.

 

Or he has cramps and it’s no one’s fault. 

[Blarg]

Just now, Stradling said:

Or he has cramps and it’s no one’s fault. 

The Angels have played 104 games and Ohtani 102. Nevin put him in as DH after pitching a complete game of a double header during a hot day and he cramped up. 

I think a reasonable person would look at his lack of rest time as a cause and the people in charge of that to blame. 

[Taylor]

12 hours ago, Angel Oracle said:

Is magnesium the new bananas?

The Angels need to eat more Brazil nuts.

https://naturesgarden.net/blogs/tips-recipes/health-tips-top-magnesium-rich-nuts

[Stradling]

15 minutes ago, Blarg said:

The Angels have played 104 games and Ohtani 102. Nevin put him in as DH after pitching a complete game of a double header during a hot day and he cramped up. 

I think a reasonable person would look at his lack of rest time as a cause and the people in charge of that to blame. 

I understand that, and I’m sure Ohtani needs to be protected from himself.  However since Perry got there they’ve allowed Ohtani to basically manage himself and they’ve been rewarded with 3 excellent years. They’ve dug a hole that will require all of them to play more than usual, especially with all the actual injuries. 

[Angel Oracle]

This does suggest maybe having a swing from the heels team is potentially leading to the increase in injuries.

One can only generate extreme swing velocities for so long before things like oblique injuries, hamate bone fractures, shoulder injuries, etc. happen?

 

 

 

 

Or this franchise is cursed.

[FromJapan]

Munenori Kawasaki joked that monkeys never get cramps because they eat bananas.  He played for the Blue Jays from 2013 to 2015. 

 

[arch stanton]

I don't think he can back up that claim. He has no proof that monkeys don't get cramps

[BTH]

The Angels are kind of in a tough spot here.

The way they’ve operated is to let Ohtani call the shots.

So if Ohtani says he’s OK, are they going to tell him no? Doesn’t seem like it, especially now that they’re keeping him and letting him have autonomy is one of the reasons why he’d potentially want to stay.

But if he gets re-aggravates it, the Angels would need to have a serious discussion.