The Los Angeles Angels wrap up a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday and then begin their final road trip before the All-Star break. The team’s first stop is at Petco Park for a three-game set with the San Diego Padres.
Shohei Ohtani was originally scheduled to start for the Angels in the series opener but he has been dealing with a cracked fingernail since his last outing against the Chicago White Sox.
The minor injury hasn’t kept Ohtani out of the lineup but his upcoming start against the Padres is being pushed back to Tuesday to give him extra rest, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group:
The cracked fingernail will, however, push Ohtani’s next pitching appearance to Tuesday against the San Diego Padres, Manager Phil Nevin announced Saturday.
Angels manager Phil Nevin isn’t concerned that Ohtani’s cracked fingernail will be a long-term issue:
“We think it’s going to be fine,” Nevin said of Ohtani’s fingernail.
Ohtani’s start on the Fourth of July will be nationally televised by TBS. It will mark just the second time all season he is pitching on six days of rest, having previously thrown five innings against the Seattle Mariners on June 9.
Jaime Barria will instead take the mound for the Angels on Monday, which comes on the heels of arguably his worst outing of the season against the White Sox.
Barria’s upcoming start will be on normal rest, a situation he has been in just one other time this season. He tossed five shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox on four days’ rest on May 22.
Patrick Sandoval will start in the series finale against the Padres on Wednesday as scheduled. The Angels then conclude the unofficial first half of the season with the Freeway Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
Shohei Ohtani sets Angels record with 15 home runs in June
In addition to receiving the most votes for American League players in All-Star Game voting, Ohtani is likely on his way to earning Player of the Month honors for June after a torrid stretch.
Ohtani set an Angels franchise record with 15 home runs during the month of June, while also posting a league-leading 279 wRC+, 1.444 on-base plus slugging, 29 RBI and 27 runs scored. He additionally reached base at an unbelievable .492 on-base clip, which led all of Major League Baseball.
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