Shohei Ohtani hit his eighth home run of the season and his first in May in the Los Angeles Angels' 5-4 loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday.

Ohtani's two-run shot to right in the ninth inning off Astros closer Ryan Pressly brought the game within a run, but the Angels fell short despite putting runners on first and second with no outs at Angel Stadium.

The two-way star went 1-for-4, striking out twice and flying out in his other at-bats.

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels hits a two-run home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, on May 10, 2023. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

The Angels have lost both three-game sets against division rivals the Texas Rangers and the Astros two games to one.

Houston starting pitcher Cristian Javier (3-1) allowed two runs and struck out 11 over six innings.

Jeremy Pena singled in two runs to cap the Astros' four-run fourth that put them ahead 5-2. Griffin Canning (2-1) took the loss.

At Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki had an RBI double among his two hits in a 10-4 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, their first win in four games.


Related coverage:

Baseball: Shohei Ohtani suffers 1st loss in pitching duel against Astros

Baseball: Confident Kikuchi earns 5th win as Blue Jays sink Pirates

Baseball: Darvish, Tatis get past Dodgers ace Kershaw