ARLINGTON -- Shohei Ohtani was not in the Angels' starting lineup against the Rangers on Tuesday, though he did come to bat in the top of the ninth inning in his first pinch-hitting appearance. He stepped into the batter's box against veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon, then grounded out to second to end the inning. The Angels won, 11-1.
"It's good to get him off the bench because when he's available that's something he might eventually do is pinch-hit," manager Mike Scioscia said. "It's good to get him in there and just get him acclimated."
Scioscia said Ohtani will be back in the lineup as the Angels' designated hitter on Wednesday against Texas left-hander Matt Moore. It will mark Ohtani's first start against a lefty this season. The 23-year-old two-way phenom batted .309 against lefties and .279 against righties in Japan.
Ohtani's next start on the mound will be Sunday afternoon in Kansas City, which will be his third consecutive start on a Sunday. He carried a perfect game into the seventh inning and struck out 12 in his last start against the A's.