Ohtani @ Phillies

[zambonir]

Trying to figure out when he might pitch against the Phils (though hey, if he doesn't, that's okay too, competitively speaking).

He is pitching right now and ESPN projects Giolito on the 8th and Ohtani again on the 9th. That would seem to line up to pitch again on the 16th and the 22nd and then against the Phillies on the 28th. There are off-days and other variables but seems like either the 28 or 29 are safe bets (rather than the 30).

Obviously you still get to see him play either way. And it will be a fun series either way.

[dcsman]

Thanks for this! I have 2 tickets that I need to pick a game for and have been eyeing the Angels series wondering about this.

[zambonir]

hopefully it doesn't end up being the 27th in NY

[Philsmania]

hopefully it doesn't end up being the 27th in NY

I have a sneaky suspicion that in his heart of hearts, Manfred wants Ohtani to go to one of the NY teams.

[zambonir]

I don't think Ohtani cares/wants to though. Honestly I think Manfred would be equally fine if he went anywhere but the Pacific time zone.

And fortunately since the Mets aren't good (and the Angels still aren't that special either) and it's interleague/non-division, no real reason for them to openly try to get him to pitch at Citi if it doesn't line up.

[bkox]

hopefully it doesn't end up being the 27th in NY

Angels seem to be going with a 6 man rotation. if they do that it will be the 30th. But they have 3 off days between now and then.. so that totally gums up the works in figuring this out

[zambonir]

yeah the combination of those two things makes it hard to be sure. but so long as it's one of them!

[bkox]

Shohei Ohtani is skipping his start vs Texas. He told Nevin he was feeling some fatigue. No injury. His next start will be vs Reds at home.

— Jeff Fletcher ( @JeffFletcherOCR ) August 13, 2023

[zambonir]

Yup I @'ed him on Twitter. He is still probably on track to pitch the Wednesday game but probably won't know for sure until he makes that start against the Reds and on what day (or, alternately, if he doesn't).

[bkox]

Gonna wonder if they shut him down for a couple weeks

Only at 131 innings on the year.. I also wonder if the fact that hes showing fatigue already ends up taking some money and years off that upcoming FA contract

Ohtani got four outs on the mound and hit a 2-run homer but had to leave the game with “arm fatigue.” Can’t blame him if he’s exhausted. Has carried the Angels all season.

— Jon Heyman ( @JonHeyman ) August 23, 2023

[allentown]

True, but 'arm fatigue' especially 4 outs into a game, is often the precursor to the announcement of a serious arm injury which requires surgery. How many times have we seen exactly that?

[flyers19rw]

That would be a shame however that’s usually the path in these situations. Too bad for Ohtani and MLB

[schooldoc]

I wouldn't think he'll take his next turn through the rotation, but too early to tell. We will probably know in the next couple of days.

[allentown]

Yes, no joy in seeing a great star go down. I'm still hoping Lorenzen is ok. It's now two bad starts after the no-no 124.

[zambonir]

Dang. I guess he can do the same as he did last time, go back to hitting only for a while (both this year and after the surgery). But it's certainly a twist.

Shohei Ohtani has a torn UCL and won’t pitch again this season.

— Jeff Fletcher ( @JeffFletcherOCR ) August 24, 2023

[bkox]

huge FA twist... 2nd TJ surgery is a huge red flag. Almost wonder if he becomes a hitter only.. And he may have just lost 100M on his contract.

[kmc1019]

Trout also going back on Injured List. It has been a nightmare scenario for Angels since going all-in for playoffs, keeping Ohtani and trading away prospects.

[el-pietro]

I wonder does this make it more likely that he stays in Anaheim. His list of suitors and the money they are willing to pay will have reduced with this injury. I could imagine the Angels putting in a competitive offer along with making the commitment that they will continue to allow him to pitch as long as he wants to/is able.

[zambonir]

Might be true. But he would still get big money just as a hitter. He could also do a pillow deal or something with opt-outs.

Not many people thought what the Angels were doing was a good idea. Hard to see how Ohtani's people could believe there's a chance to win there. Heck, Trout made his choice but even he might end up going the way of Scott Rolen before he becomes Joey Votto.

[el-pietro]

Yeah they are clearly a very poorly run organisation. Their moves these last few months smack of desperation, doing everything they can to complete in the last few months they had Ohtani, I got the impression that it was all an attempt to show him they were trying so that he would stay. But where was this urgency over the last few years?
But ultimately itll come down to how Ohtani values financial rewards, ability to complete for the WS, geographic location (theres a general idea that he will want to stay on the West Coast but I dont know if thats due to anything hes said, or an assumption that he wants to stay close to Japan) and whether the competing teams will allow him to hit and pitch.

He might well decide that if the money is equal or close that hed rather be on a team he knows will let him pitch over one that might limit those opportunities but will consistently be in the playoffs.