Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani stands on the mound after giving up a solo home run to Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager in the second inning at Dodger Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Shohei Ohtani gets rocked in final spring training start while battling blister

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 3/30/21

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Shohei Ohtani’s pitching efforts are being limited by an injury.

Ohtani has looked spectacular for the Los Angeles Angels this spring, especially at the plate. The 26-year-old has batted .552 with five home runs and has an incredible 1.645 OPS. His performance on the mound has been a different story.

Even though Ohtani was sharp against the Padres two outings ago, he was smacked around by the Dodgers on Monday night. Ohtani gave up three home runs and walked five over just 2.1 innings. He was charged with seven earned runs.

So what was going on? Ohtani is dealing with a blister. New Angels GM Perry Minasian believes the blister was caught early.

Shohei Ohtani said the blister popped up in his last outing and that he was relieved that it peeled off during this start. Didn’t sound like he thinks it’ll be an issue in his pitching debut on Sunday but blamed it for his lack of command, saying he was trying to throw around it.

— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) March 30, 2021

Ohtani is set to make his first pitching start of the season on Sunday Night Baseball against the White Sox. He and the Angels are hoping the blister won’t hinder him for that start. At the least, Ohtani seems to be fine at the plate.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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