Shohei Ohtani’s next start is set. The Angels’ two-way star, who has been dealing with a cracked fingernail this week, will take the mound Tuesday against the Padres in San Diego.
Ohtani had a small crack on the nail of his middle finger heading into his start against the Chicago White Sox on June 27. It worsened enough during the game that he had to leave the mound in the middle of the seventh inning.
“I feel like I came out of the game before it got too bad,” Ohtani said in Japanese through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara on Tuesday.
Read more: Watch: Shohei Ohtani smashes 493-foot homer, shatters record during Angels loss
The cracked nail, which the team thinks will be fine by the time the Angels open their three-game series against the Padres on Monday, has not hindered Ohtani’s hitting.
He hit two home runs Tuesday and two more before the Angels’ 3-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday at Angel Stadium. The tally included a 493-foot moon shot on Friday, the longest home run of his career and in the majors this season.
Jaime Barría will start Monday’s game to open the series against the Padres and Patrick Sandoval will take the mound during the finale Wednesday.
Angels fall again
Tyler Anderson kept the Diamondbacks scoreless through five innings at Angel Stadium. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth to protect the Angels’ one-run lead and was removed after 92 pitches.
The Angels jumped ahead in the fourth inning thanks to Anthony Rendon’s solo home run, his first extra-base hit since returning from the injured list Friday.
The Diamondbacks tied the score on an RBI single by Dominic Fletcher in the sixth inning off reliever Sam Bachman. Rendon committed a throwing error later in the inning that allowed Nick Ahmed to score, giving the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead.
Jack McCarthy hit an RBI triple in the seventh to push Arizona’s lead to 3-1.
The Angels have lost four games in a row.
Slide over
Aaron Loup’s season did not start the way he had hoped. But the reliever made one simple change during his stint on the injured list in May that seems to have changed things for the better.
In his first 13 outings this season (nine innings), the left-hander accumulated a 7.00 earned-run average, a .342 opponent batting average and an .868 opponent on-base-plus-slugging percentage. During his past 13 games (11 2/3 innings) he posted a 3.09 ERA with a .277 batting average and .746 OPS.
Loup’s struggles started during the first game of the season, blowing a save and recording a loss to the Oakland A’s. Afterwards, he said he “was out there pitching scared.”
Loup landed on the injured list in May because of a right hamstring strain. When he was preparing to return to the active roster, manager Phil Nevin suggested during a bullpen session that he slide over on the rubber about four inches.
“I said, ‘I thought about it, I just never did it because part of what makes me who I am is the angle I create from being that far over,'” Loup recalled telling Nevin. “He said, ‘Four inches, I don’t think it’s going to make a huge difference. But looking at it from a hitter’s perspective, the way your pitches work, it would keep your pitches on the plate longer as opposed to where your angle is now, your margin for error is so small for me to decide if it’s strike or ball. ‘ “
That, combined with Loup’s improved command, helped the pitcher put together a series of solid outings.
“It’s probably the first time, I think all year, I’ve really felt like myself,” Loup said.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.