Shohei Ohtani’s scheduled start against the Rays on Monday is now up in the air after he was hit on the right elbow by a pitch during his first plate appearances in today’s 2-0 Angels loss to the Mariners. Ohtani stayed in the lineup for the remainder of the game, and in fact stole two bases after being plunked. Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger) that Ohtani “was sore, but he kept telling me he was feeling better game-in-progress.”
All options seem to be on the table for Monday, whether that means Ohtani is scratched from the lineup altogether, or perhaps only pitches or only acts as the designated hitter, or if he feels fine and fills both roles as originally planned. Surely the Halos aren’t going to take any unnecessary risks with such an important player, particularly one enjoying as special of a season as Ohtani’s ongoing campaign. He is hitting .263/.311/.606 with eight homers (and six steals from seven chances, to boot) over 106 plate appearances, while also posting a 3.29 ERA/4.52 SIERA and 37.1% strikeout rate, albeit with a very troubling 21% walk rate.
More from both the Angels and Dodgers….
- Tony Watson was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 29) due to a left calf strain, the Angels announced prior to today’s game. Right-hander James Hoyt was called up from the alternate training site to take Watson’s roster spot. After opting out of a minor league deal with the Phillies near the end of Spring Training, Watson inked a new minors deal with the Angels just prior to Opening Day, and the veteran has posted some excellent bottom-line results over 8 1/3 innings. Watson has an 1.08 ERA, though with the help of a 100% strand rate and an .182 BABIP. While some regression is inevitable, Watson still has a 2.57 SIERA, and he has often outperformed his advanced metrics during his 11-year career.
- With Dustin May now the latest Dodgers pitcher to hit the injured list, the team is in the rare position of being somewhat short on pitching depth. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register) that the Dodgers are considering a four-man rotation, since a fifth starter won’t be required until May 18 thanks to three upcoming off-days on the schedule. Tony Gonsolin is currently being stretched out to work as a starting pitcher when he returns from his own IL stint due to shoulder inflammation, and Roberts said Gonsolin is roughly three-to-four weeks away from being activated.
- David Price hit the IL with a right hamstring strain on April 26, and Roberts estimated that the southpaw could beat (or at least be on the low end of) his projected four-to-six week recovery timeline. Since Gonsolin is the pick as May’s replacement, Price will resume his previous bullpen role when he returns to action. Roberts also noted that Josiah Gray, the Dodgers’ top pitching prospect, isn’t currently a candidate for a promotion to fill the rotation job.
- Brandon Morrow stopped his throwing program due to arm problems, Roberts said, and the veteran right-hander’s comeback attempt looks uncertain. “B-Mo just hasn’t responded to treatment,” Roberts said. “It’s been a tough road for B-Mo and his family, so I don’t know if it’s even gonna be a play this year. Obviously, I’m hopeful.” Morrow signed a minors deal with the Dodgers in December, hoping to return to the majors for the first time since back and elbow injuries halted his career in 2018.
Roberts killed Brandon Morrow in the 2017 playoffs and the World Series where he pitched in 6 games (because the Astro’s cheated).
Why would top pitching prospect Josiah Gray not be a candidate to fill in for May? I don’t get it.
Eventually he will be, but not at this moment.
Brandon Morrow’s arm has been a problem for the last 14 years at least. He’s got Cy Young stuff and actually put it all together a few times, but he has never, ever been able to stay healthy. Not sure I’d blame a single post season series for that….
Well you know, whenever a pitcher has arm troubles it’s always the fault of his manager. Never physiology or something like that.
LA doesn’t rush guys for a single start is the truth on Gray. By the time they need a 5th starter again, they hope price and or Gonsolin will be back
Price is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. Gonsolin will probably return a bit sooner, but not in time to make the next needed start. They will probably go with bullpen games in the meantime.
Actually, I believe Morrow appeared in all seven games. IIRC, he even advocated to do so, saying he wanted to be available to pitch when Roberts intended to give him one game off (in Houston?).
He did. The main reason why being Roberts had no better cards to play in the setup role. Morrow wasn’t even supposed to be in that place. He was originally signed as a long man.
A guy that hasn’t been stretched out in 3 years was expected to be a long man? I doubt it
Wrong timezone. Morrow was signed by the Dodgers in 2017 to be a middle reliever but was promoted to a setup role when nobody else worked out.
Don’t think Roberts did this to him. He did pitch in all 7 games for a total of 5 1/3. , 2 HRS, 8 hits, 5 earned runs. Looks like he didn’t have good stuff that week!
The fact SO doesn’t have the Bonds armor to cover,I dunno,HIS PITCHING ARM,_____________. Come on LAA….do you even want to win?
That franchise’s ineptitude to do anything competent with their pitching staffs year in and year out is truly a wonder.
The problem with this post is that SO absolutely does wear armor. So it’s not really a “fact”, more like an uninformed opinion.
Sad news for Morrow. His 17k almost no hitter was one of the best pitching performance I ever got to see live.
Hopefully he can find a way back
I’m still pissed the Phillies let Watson walk to save a few pennies. Truly a stupid move.
This doesn’t sound promising for Dustin May.
I’ve always said “non contact injuries” are always the absolute worst. Whenever a guy just pulls up lame and calls for a trainer instantly, it’s not good and probably not just a cramp. I hope for the best but I’m sadly prepared for the worst
The Angel’s wont take any unnecessary risks… and dont call me Shirley.
You can’t be a part time pitcher in the majors. Obviously his control is going to always be a problem probably because he can’t do what full time pitchers do between starts. Angels would be better off letting him play OF and free up the DH position. Cross your fingers and hope a serious pitching injury does not happen and you lose a quality bat.
He pitches every 6 days. Part time Pitcher?
As a fan of the game how can you even consider limiting what he’s capable of.
Just like the knuckleheads above TigerFan and Bob Gibsonfan are just flat out uninformed. Who cares, it’s their problem.