The Los Angeles Angels went into Monday night’s meeting with the Detroit Tigers needing some type of offensive rhythm. Scoring just five runs in their last three games, any real production at the plate would be significant. And thanks to Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, that’s exactly what the Angels got.
Trout went 3-for-4, finishing a triple shy of the cycle with a home run, a double, and three runs scored. Ohtani went 3-for-5 with two home runs, a double, three RBIs, and three runs scored. In what can only be described as a dominant effort, the two combined for six of the Halos 10 runs and six of their 16 hits.
By the end of it all, the Angels had won 10-0, with the heart of the order leading the way. Angels interim manager Phil Nevin described the feeling of witnessing Trout and Ohtani’s greatness up close, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
“When they hit them, they sound a little different,” interim manager Phil Nevin said of Trout and Ohtani. “The balls that Shohei hit to right in his first two at-bats, he was staying back on offspeed pitches. And then the one to left-center, there’s not too many guys who can hit them that far there from that side of the plate.”
While most of the attention on Ohtani this season has come from his pitching, he has quietly been phenomenal at the plate in recent weeks. Since Aug. 4 — 29 games — Ohtani is slashing .327/.402/.701 for an 1.103 OPS with 10 home runs and 17 total extra base hits.
“Overall, I’ve been able to look at the pitches and swing the bat pretty well,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “And I’d like to continue what I’ve been doing.”
At the same time, Trout is starting to get back into a rhythm after returning from injury. In the 16 games since coming back to the lineup, Trout is slashing .302/.353/.619 for a .972 OPS with six home runs. As it has been all season, Trout’s walk numbers are lower than usual, but he feels like he’s back to his normal self.
“I feel pretty good,” Trout said. “Just being out there with the guys and getting at-bats every day has been big for me. I feel fine, I feel great.”
The two Angels superstars hitting well at the same time can lead to results like Monday night. And while there isn’t much to play for in terms of winning, having a full month of Ohtani and Trout side-by-side in the Angels lineup may provide some hope that next season could be different.
The Angels are also now 7-3 in their last 10, one of their best 10-game stretches of the season.
Ohtani tosses 8.0 innings against Astros
Ohtani has an OPS above 1.100 in the last month, and yet, he is still finding ways to dominate on the mound. Against the Houston Astros on Saturday, Ohtani tossed eight innings of one-run baseball, allowing six hits and zero walks in the process.
