Shohei Ohtani leaves Angels loss with finger blister on pitching hand, may not pitch in All-Star

Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani said he doesn’t expect to pitch in next week’s All-Star after leaving the Los Angeles Angels’ 8-5 loss to the San Diego Padres with a blister on the middle finger of his right-hand.

‘It’s going to be pretty tough. As of now I’m planning on not pitching,’ Ohtani said through an interpreter.

He could still play a significant role if he’s healthy enough to remain the starting designated hitter for the American League next Tuesday in Seattle.

Ohtani exited on the mound against the Padres in the sixth inning. When his spot in the lineup at DH came up in the ninth, he was replaced by a pinch-hitter.

‘When I came out of the game I was kind of in the moment, so we will see about going forward the next few days,’ Ohtani said. ‘On the pitching side, I have like nine, 10 days until the next start so hopefully I will heal in time.’ 

LA Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani left Tuesday’s game with a blister on his finger

Ohtani was pulled after giving up consecutive home runs to Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth with none out in the sixth.

The right-hander’s start had been pushed back a day due to a cracked fingernail. His velocity was down Tuesday, and he left trailing 5-1.

‘It was hard for me to put full pressure on it,’ Ohtani said.

He left his previous start as a pitcher but remained in the game as the DH and homered, giving him 10 strikeouts and two home runs in a 4-2 win against the Chicago White Sox.

‘It’s my understanding they put an acrylic nail on there because of where it was cracked and it might have just irritated the skin on the side of the finger,’ Angels manager Phil Nevin said. ‘It felt like he just didn´t have command of his pitches going into the sixth and we talked about it and he felt good and warmed up and he gave me a thumbs up.’

Asked if the blister would hamper Ohtani’s ability to bat, Nevin said: ‘I don´t think so. It’s just the tip of the middle finger and I think he´s going to be OK.’

Ohtani’s exit came several hours after the Angels learned they’ll be without fellow All-Star slugger Mike Trout for several weeks because of a broken left wrist.

Ohtani became a two-way All-Star for the third straight year when he was picked for the AL pitching staff by players on Sunday, 10 days after fans voted him to start at designated hitter. Also on Sunday, Ohtani and Trout homered in the same game for the 30th time, helping the Angels beat Arizona 5-2.

Padres Xander Bogaerts is congratulated by Manny Machado after Bogaerts a two-run homer 

MARINERS 6, GIANTS 0

Starting pitcher Logan Gilbert felt the need to apologize for his awkward dance moves, though he sure looked plenty graceful for a big guy – and nobody would have cared otherwise after his masterpiece on the mound.

Seattle’s 6-foot-6 right-hander had never before let loose shuffling around in the Mariners’ postgame winning circle in what has become ritual for the finishing pitcher and his fielders after the final out.

Gilbert struck out seven pitching a five-hit gem for his first career complete game, Mike Ford homered during a four-hit performance and AJ Pollock added a late two-run shot as the Seattle Mariners beat the San Francisco Giants 6-0 on Tuesday for their fourth straight win.

Seattle Mariners celebrate a win over the San Francisco Giants in a baseball game Tuesday

METS 8, DIAMONDBACKS 5 

Star outfielder Starling Marte hit a three-run homer while Max Scherzer struck out nine batters to remain undefeated in 10 straight starts and New York beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-5. 

Scherzer gave up three homers, all solo shots. New York hit three homers, just one a solo shot but the difference in dingers allowed the Mets to extend a rare win streak during a difficult season.

Scherzer (8-2) gave up homers to Corbin Carroll, Cristian Walker and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. while walking in another run in six innings. The Mets made the most of their long balls to help the right-hander win his sixth straight decision.

Marte hit his fifth homer of the season off Diamondbacks starter Zach Davies in the fourth inning and Brandon Nimmo added a solo shot in the fifth.

Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo misses the tag on New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor 

PHILLIES 3, RAYS 1 

Starting pitcher Aaron Nola tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts and beat former teammate Zach Eflin as the Philadelphia Phillies won their 10th consecutive road game, 3-1 over the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

It’s the Phillies’ longest winning streak away from home since the 1976 club won a franchise-best 13 straight. Tampa Bay has lost nine of their last 15.

Nola (8-5) allowed one run and five hits over 7 1/3 innings. The last batter he faced, Wander Franco, homered. Craig Kimbrel worked the ninth and earned his 13th save in 13 chances.

Philadelphia Phillies starter Aaron Nola pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the second

RANGERS 6, RED SOX 2 

Mitch Garver hit a three-run homer, Dane Dunning pitched six solid innings and the AL West-leading Texas Rangers had a rain-delayed 6-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

Robbie Grossman and Josh Jung each added an RBI double for the Rangers, who won for just the second time in six games. Garver also had a bases-loaded walk.

Jarren Duran had a triple and double, and Justin Turner an RBI single for Boston, which had its three-game winning streak halted.

The game was delayed for 1 hour, 47 minutes thanks to light rain falling early in the game that eventually became heavier in the middle innings until the umpires called for the tarp with the Red Sox batting in the eighth.

Mitch Garver, center left, celebrates his three-run home run that also drove in two teammates

YANKEES 8, ORIOLES 4 

Gleyber Torres sparked the Yankees to an 8-4 Fourth of July win over the Baltimore Orioles after hitting a two-run homer in the first inning and scoring the go-ahead run from first base with a daring dash on Giancarlo Stanton´s fifth-inning single.

Torres walked against Kyle Gibson (8-6) and was running on a full-count, two-out pitch when Stanton hit a three-hop single up the middle.

Center fielder Cedric Mullins tossed the ball to second as Torres ran through third base coach Luis Rojas´ stop sign and slid headfirst across the plate without a throw for a 4-3 lead.

New York Yankees’ Gleyber Torres watches his two run homer in the first inning vs Baltimore

TWINS 9, ROYALS 3 

Right Fielder Max Kepler had four RBIs, including a three-run homer, while Kenta Maeda continued his strong comeback from the injured list for the Minnesota Twins in a 9-3 win against the Kansas City Royals.

Donovan Solano and Byron Buxton each had three hits and added back-to-back homers in the fifth inning for Minnesota, which has won four of five after being swept in Atlanta that caused manager Rocco Baldelli to criticize his team´s effort. Carlos Correa added a third-inning single for his 1,000th career hit at 28 years old.

Maeda (2-5) made his third start since coming off the injured list for a right triceps strain. He gave up two runs and three hits in a season-high seven innings. He struck out nine. In the three starts, Maeda has given up just three earned runs in 17 innings.

Minnesota Twins’ Max Kepler hits an RBI single against the Kansas City Royals in the first

REDS 8, NATIONALS 4 

Starting pitcher Brett Kennedy won his first major league appearance in five years, while baseball’s newest star Elly De La Cruz went 4 for 5 with hits from both sides of the plate and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Nationals 8-4.

Kennedy struck out three and allowed four runs and five hits in five-plus innings, only getting into trouble late in his 86-pitch outing.

De La Cruz had three singles batting right-handed and one left-handed. The switch-hitting rookie sensation was robbed of his first career five-hit game by Nationals center fielder Derek Hill’s diving catch on a line drive in the eighth.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Brett Kennedy throws to the Washington Nationals in the first inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

BLUE JAYS 4, WHITE SOX 3 

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stepped to the plate looking for a pitch up in the zone that he could drive. He got a high slider and parked it in a party deck.

Guerrero hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3.

He singled and scored in a two-run fourth. But his biggest hit came just in time for the Blue Jays.

Guerrero gave Toronto a 4-3 lead when he connected against Joe Kelly (1-4) after Brandon Belt led off the eighth with a walk. The three-time All-Star went the opposite way on a 2-1 pitch, driving it out to right for his 13th home run.

Chicago White Sox’s Luis Robert Jr. hits a three-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays 

ATHLETICS 1, TIGERS 0 

Ryan Noda had an RBI single in the 10th inning as the MLB-worst Oakland Athletics edged the Detroit Tigers 1-0 after being no-hit into the seventh inning.

Jace Peterson bunted pinch-runner Tyler Wade to third to start the 10th. Tyler Horton (0-1) struck out Shea Langeliers for the second out before Noda slapped a single to left – one of just two hits for Oakland in the game – to break the scoreless struggle.

Shintaro Fujinami (5-7) got the win after striking out the side in the ninth. Trevor May pitched a scoreless 10th for his sixth save.

Oakland Athletics’ JP Sears pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the second inning of play

CUBS 7, BREWERS 6 

Left fielder Ian Happ threw out two runners at the plate in extra innings, and the Chicago Cubs pulled out a wild 7-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in 11 innings after squandering a late lead for the second consecutive game.

Dansby Swanson homered and Miguel Amaya hit a two-run double to help the Cubs build a 6-2 cushion. But the Brewers scored twice in the eighth and twice more in the ninth to tie it.

In the bottom of the 10th, pinch-runner Andruw Monasterio was placed at second base as the automatic runner. He tried to score the winning run on Owen Miller’s one-out single to left but was cut down at home by Happ on a call that stood following a replay review.

Chicago Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya tags out Milwaukee Brewers’ Owen Miller at home plate

ASTROS 4, ROCKIES 1 

Rookie Grae Kessinger hit his first career home run and fellow rookie Corey Julks had a career-high four hits to lead the Houston Astros to a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.

Julks had a double and RBI after being inserted into the lineup at designated hitter after Jose Altuve was scratched about 90 minutes before the game with discomfort in his left oblique.

Manager Dusty Baker said after the game that Altuve was injured during batting practice, but that he didn’t have any more information on his injury. Although Baker didn’t know the extent of Altuve’s injury, he was disheartened to be dealing with another injury in a season that has already been filled with them.

Astros’ Grae Kessinger (16) is congratulated by Mauricio Dubon (14) after hitting a solo homer

MARLINS 15, CARDINALS 2 

Jesús Sánchez homered, singled twice and had four RBIs and the Miami Marlins beat St. Louis 15-2 in another short outing by Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright on Tuesday.

Jorge Soler and Joey Wendle each doubled twice while Garrett Cooper also went deep and had two singles for the Marlins, who finished with a season high in runs against Wainwright and four relievers.

Marlins starter Jesús Luzardo (7-5) struck out eight in six scoreless innings.

Marlins’ Dane Myers hits a single for his first MLB hit during the seventh inning vs St. Louis

GUARDIANS 6, BRAVES 5

Outfielder and hero David Fry had a game-ending hit and the Cleveland Guardians stopped the Atlanta Braves’ nine-game winning streak with a 6-5 victory in 10 innings.

The clutch outfielder drove an 0-1 pitch over the head of left fielder Eddie Rosario to score Amed Rosario from third base. Braves closer Raisel Iglesias (3-3) intentionally walked Andrés Giménez, bringing Fry to the plate with two outs.

Fry was mobbed by his teammates in the celebration that ended the tense contest.

Guardians’ David Fry, center, is mobbed by teammates after hitting a game-winning single

PIRATES 9, DODGERS 7

Pinch-hitter Josh Palacios came through with a tiebreaking two-run double in a three-run ninth inning that rallied the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 9-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers to snap a three-game skid.

Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips struck out Carlos Santana, then issued consecutive walks to Jack Suwinski and Nick Gonzales. Suwinski scored on Jared Triolo’s single that tied it at 7.

Palacios batted for Rodolfo Castro and doubled into left field, scoring Gonzales and Triolo for a 9-7 lead.