Ohtani out of starting lineup in San Diego

SAN DIEGO -- Two-way star Shohei Ohtani wasn’t in the lineup against the Padres on Tuesday and won’t be in it again on Wednesday because of National League rules without a designated hitter.

Ohtani, who leads the Majors with 43 homers and also has a 2.97 ERA in 20 starts this year, has played 8 1/3 innings in the outfield this season, but with the Angels out of postseason contention and Ohtani needing a break, Angels manager Joe Maddon didn’t consider starting him there in San Diego. He also believes being out of the lineup for games will ultimately be a good thing for Ohtani, whose next start on the mound is expected to come on either Friday or Saturday in Houston.

"I believe it could be helpful," Maddon said. "He'll be pitching again soon. I didn't want to fight it or make a point of trying to get him in the lineup as a player. I just think based on the year that he's had and all the work he's done, this is like a baseball moment just telling us to back up a little bit. And then we'll see if that could revitalize him for the rest of the year. So that's where we're going with right now.”

Maddon added that Ohtani will be available off the bench and didn’t rule out Ohtani possibly playing some outfield to get another at-bat if he serves as a pinch-hitter.

“You'll see him as a pinch-hitter,” Maddon said. “And I can't rule out the fact that he might pinch-hit and stay on defense possibly, but I would try to avoid that if I can.”

Ohtani, 27, has been a constant presence for the Angels this year. Entering Tuesday, he had appeared in 132 of the club's 138 games as a hitter and also leads the club with 20 starts on the mound. He's served as DH 107 times, batted for himself as the pitcher in 17 games and has been a pinch-hitter in eight National League games.

He's hitting .255/.355/.607 with 25 doubles, 23 stolen bases and 93 RBIs, while also going 9-1 with 135 strikeouts in 112 innings.

Ohtani, though, has fared better in the second half as a pitcher than as a hitter. After going 4-1 with a 3.49 ERA in 13 starts before the All-Star break, he's 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA in seven outings since then. He batted .279/.364/.698 with 33 homers and 70 RBIs in 84 games before the break, but he's hitting .212/.338/.442 with 10 homers in 23 RBIs in 48 games since then.

Maddon believes Ohtani’s mechanics have been off a bit at the plate in the second half and now he has the chance to work on them without having to be in the lineup.

“He's just been pulling off a little bit,” Maddon said. “He needs to get back to left-center. I think, more than anything, it’s that. He just needs to get back to the middle of the field. It’s a long year, you’re not going to be a perfect all season. He just needs to get back to the other side and he’ll be fine.”