Shohei Ohtani hit a pair of homers and drove in three runs before departing with cramping as the Los Angeles Angels completed a doubleheader sweep with an 11-4 victory over the host Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
Ohtani hit his major league leading 37th and 38th home runs but grabbed his side after the latter homer. Michael Stefanic pinch-hit for him as the designated hitter in the seventh inning.
Ohtani tossed the first complete game shutout of his career in the Angels’ 6-0 victory earlier in the day. He allowed only one hit and struck out eight.
Hunter Renfroe had three hits, including a homer, and drove in two runs in the nightcap for the Angels, who have won eight of their last nine games. Matt Thaiss and Luis Rengifo drove in two runs apiece and Eduardo Escobar added a solo home run.
Angels starter Patrick Sandoval (6-7) gave up two runs and five hits in five innings.
Detroit starter Matt Manning (3-2) gave up seven runs and seven hits in five innings. Zach McKinstry had two hits and drove in a run.
Los Angeles broke through in the second inning, capped by Ohtani’s first homer of the game. Mike Moustakas singled and Escobar drew a two-out walk. Rengifo then ripped a triple to knock in both runners. After Zach Neto’s bloop single brought home Rengifo, Ohtani smashed his opposite-field homer to make it 5-0.
Detroit scored its first two runs in the third. Zack Short and Matt Vierling had singles and a throwing error by Sandoval allowed Short to reach third. One out later, Spencer Torkelson’s grounder brought in Short. Vierling scored on Kerry Carpenter’s single.
Escobar led off the fourth with a homer to make it 6-2. Two outs later, Ohtani launched a 435-foot blast over the center field wall.
Renfroe’s 16th homer leading off the sixth upped the Angels’ lead to 8-2.
Detroit scored an unearned run in the seventh on Neto’s error at shortstop.
The Tigers added a run in the eighth on McKinstry’s single, but the Angels answered with three in the ninth. Thaiss knocked in two runs with a single and Renfroe followed with an RBI single up the middle.
–Field Level Media
