Ohtani returns to the mound against the Cardinals after leaving his last start early
Ohtani takes the mound in series finale against Cardinals originally appeared on The Sporting News
The St. Louis Cardinals are looking to end their six-game California road trip on a high note this afternoon with a series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Just one problem—they’ll have to get past two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who takes the mound for his eighth start this season, per CBS Sports.
However, Ohtani’s last appearance on July 30 didn’t go according to plan as he slowly transitions back into a full-time starter after undergoing Tommy John revision surgery in 2023. Slated to pitch four innings at Cincinnati, Ohtani left after 3.0 IP and 51 pitches, allowing 2 ER on 5 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. He was later diagnosed with a cramp in his hip.
The Cardinals have seen Ohtani once before, scoring 4 ER on him in 5.0 innings in 2023 when he was still with the Los Angeles Angels. But Ohtani still has a 2.99 ERA over six MLB seasons, and in seven starts this year, he’s recorded a 2.40 ERA (4 ER in 15.0 IP).
St. Louis split the first 2 games of this series, including a 3-2 win on Monday and a 12-6 loss last night. Scheduled to oppose Ohtani is left-hander Matthew Liberatore, who is 3-3 with a 3.53 ERA (14 ER in 35.2 IP) over his last 7 starts.
At 1 game below .500, the Cardinals (57-58) are fighting for an NL Wild Card spot and sit 6.5 games behind the New York Mets and San Diego Padres in the playoff race. A win over Ohtani and the Dodgers today would mark their first series victory since July 8-10 vs. the Washington Nationals (2-1).
Category: Baseball
