Shohei Ohtani is the best pitcher on the Los Angeles Angels‘ roster.
Every time he steps on the mound, he gives the team their best chance of winning.
This is in addition to being one of their best hitters, too.
It’s an unfair load to carry for any player: the rest of the organization as a whole has been extremely disappointing, and Ohtani has virtually no help outside of fellow star Mike Trout.
As a result, the Angels have become, quite shockingly, one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball.
Their collapse is still ongoing, and every time Ohtani is not on the mound, they are bound to lose.
It’s incredible, and extremely heartbreaking for hardcore baseball fans who dream of watching both Ohtani and Trout in the playoffs.
“Angels have lost 14 of last 15 games when Shohei Ohtani is NOT their starting pitcher. They are 13-32 since June 1 (worst in MLB),” CBS Sports tweeted.
Angels have lost 14 of last 15 games when Shohei Ohtani is NOT their starting pitcher.
They are 13-32 since June 1 (worst in MLB) pic.twitter.com/o0oBqNb2Ih
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) July 25, 2022
The Angels Are Shockingly Bad
By record, the Angels are better than six other teams in the league.
Since the start of June, however, they have been the absolute worst in baseball: worse than the Oakland Athletics, worse than the Washington Nationals, and worse than the Cincinnati Reds.
In fact, the last-place A’s are 6.5 games behind Los Angeles, so if they keep sliding, there is a chance they end up being the last-place team in the AL West division.
Ohtani has a .832 OPS as a hitter and a 2.80 ERA as a hurler, and Trout has a .967 OPS.
Except for Taylor Ward, the rest of the Angels lineup has been abysmal.
The rotation, outside of Ohtani and maybe Patrick Sandoval and Reid Detmers, has been equally mediocre.
It’s very hard to make it to October that way.
NEXT: The Angels Broke A Shocking Streak Over The Weekend