Ohtani's strong outing frittered away in sloppy extra-inning loss

ANAHEIM -- Given their inconsistent rotation and the boost that he provides every sixth day, the Angels can’t afford to waste two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani’s starts.

But they did just that against the Marlins on Saturday night, as Ohtani struck out 10 over six strong innings and was in line for the win after a go-ahead two-run single from Matt Thaiss in the sixth, only for the Angels to implode in an eventual 8-5 loss in 10 innings at Angel Stadium. Reliever Chase Silseth gave up a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh and after the Angels tied it in the eighth on a solo shot from Gio Urshela, the defense let them down in the 10th.

Outfielder Mickey Moniak dropped a fly ball in left-center field for a run-scoring error before the Angels failed to complete what should’ve been a 1-2-3 double play to end the inning. But after review, it was determined that Thaiss didn’t touch home before throwing to first and the call was overturned, allowing a run to score and two more to come across on a two-out single from Garrett Hampson.

“I make that play nine times out of 10 and unfortunately it happened in the 10th inning and it cost us,” Moniak said. “I’ll take full blame on that one. I think that loss falls on me. It’s tough. I think we most certainly could’ve won that game if I make that play."

It was a rough loss for the Angels, who dropped the series against Miami, but Ohtani again showed signs he’s getting back on track after an uncharacteristic rut that saw him post a 6.12 ERA over four starts. He’s registered two straight strong outings, allowing one earned run over six frames in back-to-back starts.

Ohtani, though, didn’t factor in the decision after Silseth gave up a go-ahead homer to Jorge Soler in the seventh. He remains 5-1 with a 2.91 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 65 innings this season. The Angels are 8-3 in his 11 starts and his 90 strikeouts lead the American League. Of the three losses that Ohtani started, two of them came with the bullpen failing to hold a late lead.

Ohtani didn’t help his own cause in the first inning, however, as he made a nice play on a chopper to his right on the first play of the game but threw the ball away to first base for a two-base error. It led to a run scoring on a two-out RBI single from Yuli Gurriel after a walk from Bryan De La Cruz to give Miami an early lead and was a source of frustration for Ohtani after the game, who wasn’t pleased with his performance.

“Not good, not bad,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “Just average overall. I was able to get through six, so that was good, but I felt like I could have prevented some of those runs.”

Ohtani recovered by retiring eight of the next nine batters he faced, including inducing an inning-ending double play in the second inning after he walked Jacob Stallings with one out. But he ran into trouble in the fifth, when he allowed back-to-back singles to open the inning and later gave up a go-ahead RBI single to Luis Arraez on an 0-2 splitter in the zone.

But like usual, Ohtani finished his outing strong, including striking out De La Cruz to end the fifth to strand two runners. Ohtani went back out for the sixth on 92 pitches and pitched around a two-out single from Jon Berti with three strikeouts in the inning.

Ohtani threw 109 pitches, which was his second-highest total this season, trailing only the 111 pitches he threw in Seattle on April 5. He again leaned heavily on the sweeper, throwing it 49 times and getting 12 whiffs and eight called strikes with it.

“I thought Ohtani was good,” manager Phil Nevin said. “It was uncharacteristic for him to throw the ball away in the first inning. He rebounded and threw the ball really well.”

It wasn’t enough, however, with the Angels making costly mistakes in the 10th. But Nevin called Moniak one of his best defenders and didn’t blame him for the loss.

“We made plenty of other mistakes that cost us tonight,” Nevin said. “Three leadoff hitters get on and score, one from an error, one from a walk, one from an 0-2 count and we couldn’t finish it off. All three of those leadoff hitters scored, and that hurts.”