Angels' Shohe atlanta braves jersey number 11 i Ohtani, Joe Maddon not concerned about pitcher's velocity dip vs. Indians
May 20, 2021
Shohei Ohtani didn't quite have his best stuff on Wednesday against the Indians. The Angels' two-way star pit atlanta braves jersey for men ched 4 2/3 innings and allowed just two runs, but his lackJose Altuve of velocity made it clear that he wasn't at his peak.
For most of the game, Ohtani's fastball velocity hovered around the low-90s. On the day, he averaged 91.3 mph on the pitch, 5.3 mph slower than the 96.6 average he had on the season entering that start. Ohtani's fastball didn't come close to hitting 100 mph as he has in other starts either. In fact, a handful of them came in below the 90 mph mark.
Velocity dips have spelled trouble for Ohtani in the past. They were, in part, what led to the Tommy John surgery he h atlanta braves jersey men white austin riley ad in 2018.
MORE: Mets pitcher calls Ohtani "a mythical legend in human form"
Despite that, neither the Angels nor Ohtani aMatt Olson Braves Jerseys re worried about hiLevi ss velocity, and they're chalking it up to an off day.
“I’m not worried about any injuries," Ohtani said through an interpreter, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. "I was able to stay in there and get my at-bats and play in the field.”
"There’s nothing wrong with MLB Blanketshim,” manager Joe Maddon said. “It’s not mechanical and it wasn’t physical. It was just how he was feeling tonight.”
And as Maddon pointed out, the team was looking very closely at Ohtani amid his velocity issues. They simply couldn't see anything wrong or different with hTim Andersonis performance compared with his last few starts.
“Coaches and trainers are looking in t atlanta braves clubhouse store he face for any wincing — is he holding back? Is there pain?” Maddon said. “And we couldn’t see anything different between him throwing 97 or whatever he was doing today. … He came into the dugout, was very confident, very upbeat.”
Added Maddon: "It was just one of those days he didn’t have his normal stuff."
Certainly, that's encouraging news for the Angels. They can ill afford to lose Ohtani with superstar Mike Trout set to miss 6-8 weeks with a right calf strain.
As long as Trout is out, Ohtani will need to carry the Angels. Whether that's by adding to his MLB-leading 14 homers or by putting together solid outings on the mound, Los Angeles will b atlanta braves jersey plain e leaning heavily on the most exciting player in baseball to deliver.