Shohei Ohtani (29-LA Angels) couldn’t smile after a four-hit game that was missing a home run in a cycling hit. The Los Angeles Angels dropped their third straight game as sloppy infield defense led to big innings.
Ohtani, batting first and designated hitter, went 4-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored in the Angels’ 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, on Thursday.
His first four-hit game in 18 games since going 4-for-4 (one homer) at Baltimore on May 16. Had he homered in his final at-bat, it would have been his second cycling hit since June 14, 2019, against Tampa Bay. It raised Ohtani’s season batting average from .262 to .274. Despite Ohtani’s big day, the Angels lost 6-9 on Alex Bregman’s grand slam that came after an infield error in the fourth inning. With their third straight loss, the Angels dropped to exactly five games over .305 and remained in fourth place in the American League West.
Ohtani’s bat was on fire from his first at-bat. After drawing a full count against Houston starter Christian Javier, he crushed an outside fastball for a single to center field. With one out in the top of the third inning and the Angels trailing 1-0, he lined a low fastball over the wall in right-center field for a three-run shot. When right fielder Chad McCormick failed to make the throw at first, center fielder Jake Mayers popped out and Ohtani walked, advancing Ohtani to third. The score was tied 1-1.
In the top of the fifth inning, Ohtani was left stranded at first base. But he made up for it in his next at-bat. Down 1-7, the Angels put together a big inning in the top of the seventh with Javier down. Leadoff hitter Hunter Renfroe hit a solo shot to left off Ryne Stanek. Renfroe singled and Soto walked to put runners on first and second with one out in front of Ohtani.
On a full count, Stanek threw an 89.2-mile-per-hour (143.5-kilometer-per-hour) splitter high and away. It could have been a double. But Ohtani stretched his bat out and pushed it away, turning it into an RBI double off the left-field wall. A triple would have been possible, but the runner in front of him had to settle for two. The Angels then scored four runs in the seventh inning on a wild pitch and Mike Trout’s RBI single to left field.
It was unfortunate that the Angels were unable to capitalize on the bases loaded opportunity. Houston didn’t let up in the bottom of the seventh, as McCormick doubled to right-center field and Mauricio Dubon added a sacrifice fly.
Ohtani followed with an RBI single up the middle in the top of the ninth. Drury added a single and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with Ohtani at third, but Matt Tice struck out swinging to end the threat.
The fourth inning was the only time the game would go one way or the other, with Houston holding a 2-1 lead. The Astros took the lead in the first inning when Jose Abreu singled up the middle with runners on first and second, and added a run in the third when he lined a two-run double to left field with runners on first and second.
In the bottom of the fourth, back-to-back errors by the Angels infield with runners on first and second led to the big inning. Jeremy Peña hit a 먹튀검증 grounder to shortstop, but Soto couldn’t get to it in time, allowing the tying run to score. Jordan Alvarez came up to bat and hit another grounder, but couldn’t get a single out. There was no one covering first base, and second baseman Brandon Drury hesitated because he didn’t know where to throw.
Jacob Webb, who came on in relief of Angels starter Patrick Sandoval, then gave up a solo home run to left field to Bregman, and the game quickly tilted in Houston’s favor. Sandoval’s record fell to 5-3, allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks with four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.
Meanwhile, Houston starter Javier earned his seventh win of the season (1-1) with six innings of six-hit ball, striking out five and walking one. The offense pounded out 12 hits long and short to extend its winning streak to three games, led by Bregman, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, while Dubon, Peña, McCormick and Martin Maldonado all had multi-hit games.