A week after suffering his first major league loss, Shohei Ohtani put his blister worries to rest but allowed four runs Tuesday and missed his chance at a third win when the Los Angeles Angels rallied late to beat the Houston Astros 8-7.
Ohtani (2-1) fanned seven and clocked eight fastballs at or over 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour in an uneven 5-1/3 innings, yielding six hits and five walks while late runs and tight Angels' fielding kept the visitors ahead at Minute Maid Park for the second straight night. According to mlb.com, Ohtani is the first starting pitcher in the majors this season to hit 101 miles per hour.
The 23-year-old rookie threw a season-high 98 pitches -- over half of them strikes -- in contrast to the 66 in his third start last Tuesday when he gave up three runs in a 10-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox and was retired after developing a blister on his pitching hand.
(Shohei Ohtani touched 101 mph on the gun Tuesday.)
"Compared to last time it was much better," Ohtani said in reference to the middle-finger blister that curtailed his previous start. "I entered the game as I usually do."
Mike Trout gave the Angels an early 1-0 lead in the first inning with his MLB-leading 10th homer of the season. Ohtani allowed a single to his first batter, but fanned his third, and catcher Martin Maldonado threw out the runner trying to steal second for an inning-ending double play.
FACTFILE: Everything you need to know about Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani fanned two more to lead off the second before Marwin Gonzalez's line drive to right brought in the first Astros run. The Angels added two runs in the third, but Ohtani allowed a two-run homer in the fifth to cut the Angels' lead to one.
In the sixth, Ohtani gave up a walk and struck out his final batter swinging before he was replaced by lefty Jose Alvarez, but the reliever allowed a two-run homer to give the Astros the lead and add a run charged to Ohtani.
(Ohtani gives up a two-run shot to the Astros' Derek Fisher.)
A four-run Angels rally in the seventh and a crucial out on a bases-loaded jam in bottom of the inning kept the Angels' ahead. Reliever Jim Johnson (2-0), who got two outs in two-thirds of an inning, got the win, and Cam Bedrosian fanned the last Houston batter for his first save of the season.
"From the standpoint of results, we got the win and that's really great," Ohtani said. "We've won two straight games against a team with an amazing lineup, and that's big."
At Dodger Stadium, right-hander Kenta Maeda (2-1) also did not figure in the decision, when the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins traded runs until an RBI double in the ninth put the visitors ahead 3-2.
Maeda fanned seven in six innings and gave up four hits and a walk, allowing a homer in the third to tie the game at 1-1. The Japanese righty returned to form last week when he fanned 10 in the Dodgers' 13-4 rout over the San Diego Padres for his second win.
(Getty/Kyodo)
