Saying his acclimation is “still in progress,” Shohei Ohtani acknowledged he isn’t entirely sure yet how to hit big-league pitching. Makes you wonder what he might be capable of doing when he has a better grasp of the situation. Ohtani, who batted fourth as the Angels’ designated hitter Friday, entered the game with a .354 average, 1.077 on-base-plus-slugging percentage and five home runs. He was 10th on the team with 65 at-bats but tied for fourth in homers and fifth with 16 RBIs. “It’s just a matter of going out there and seeing pitchers, gaining the experience,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s doing a good job.” Ohtani, with a single Friday, has hit safely in 15 of his first 17 starts as a batter. He has only two 0-for-4s. He also had his first successful pinch-hitting appearance this week, singling at Colorado on Wednesday. The matter of his adjustments and his progress came up after he homered and doubled Thursday in the Angels’ 7-4 victory over Minnesota, the hits coming on pitches that moved to the outside edge of the plate. “Earlier in the year, I feel like they were throwing me inside a lot more than now,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I was still able to hit the ball pretty well … so maybe they’re trying to test pitching me away.” Ohtani’s next pitching start is scheduled for Sunday in the finale of this four-game series. It will be Ohtani’s third home start, following seven, one-hit innings against… [Read full story]
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