Rising Japanese star Shoei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels will be sidelined for at least three weeks after suffering a horrific elbow ligament injury.
The 23-year-old Ohtani who hails from Oshu, Japan was unable to continue his last pitching start against the Kansas City Royals. Regardless of his absence, the LA Angels were still able to pull off a close 4-3 triumph over the Royals.
Team manager Mike Scioscia is hoping that Ohtani will be back in the court in the soonest possible time to improve their chances of making it into the postseason. The LA Angels are currently on a five-game winning streak and hold a 36-28 card.
"The schedule doesn't stop, and you can't take a timeout. We've got to absorb it and move on," Scioscia expressed.
Ohtani has been nothing short of impressive lately as he is batting at a rate of .289 to go along with six home runs, 20 RBIs, and 61 strikeouts. He has also been a defensive ace lately by limiting their opponents to .202 bats in his nine appearances.
Loaded June For The Angels
Following their 4-2 triumph over Minnesota Twins on Friday, the LA Angels return to the court to take on the same Twins squad on Saturday and Sunday. The LA Angels have already played seven games this month and will play 20 more before June ends.
Despite the stacked schedule, the LA Angels fared very well in their last seven games with a 6-1 win-loss record. They lost to the Texas Rangers 3-2 last June 2.
Currently, the LA Angels are sitting fifth in the American League standings behind the Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox. The top-seed Red Sox lead the conference with a 43-20 card followed by the Yankees' 40-18, the Mariners 39-23, and the Astros' 39-25 slate.
Besides Ohtani, the LA Angels are comprised of pitchers Jose Alvarez, Justin Anderson, Cam Bedrosian, Oliver Drake, Andrew Heaney, Jim Johnson, and Eduardo Paredes. Other pitchers include Blake Parker, Noe Ramirez, Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs and Nick Tropeano.
Also making up the 40-man lineup of the Angels are Jose Briceno, Martin Maldonado, Rene Rivera, Kaleb Cowart, Zack Cozart, Jose Fernandez, Nolan Fontana, Ian Kinsler, and Jeff Marte. Joining them in the squad are Albert Pujols, Andrelton Simmons, Luis Valbuena, Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun, Michael Hermosillo, Justin Upton and Chris Young.
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