Angels manager Joe Maddon has some thoughts on Shohei Ohtani’s Yankees struggles.
The Angels two-way star was roughed up in the Bronx on Thursday, getting tagged for four earned runs on eight hits — three of them homers — over 3 2/3 innings in a 6-1 loss.
“They’re really good at reading pitches, they’re really good at it,” Maddon told reporters. “I’m not accusing anybody of anything except that they’re good at it. If you’re able to acquire things through natural means, I think it’s great. There are things that pitchers do that other teams can pick up on. We need to be more vigilant.”
Ohtani didn’t seem to have many answers for his poor showing, either.
“They have a great lineup, and if I don’t make my pitches, they’re going to hit my pitches hard, and that’s what happened,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I’m not sure [if I was tipping]. You should ask the other team.”
It was the second time the Yankees had handed Ohtani a beatdown on the mound. In his first go-round, he was tagged for seven earned runs over just 2/3 of an inning on June 30, 2021, an outing which included giving up four walks.
Aaron Boone, Maddon’s Yankees counterpart, was at least willing to play along with the idea his team is good at picking up opposing pitchers’ indicators.
“I think we are,” Boone said. “We’re going to hopefully continue to be good at it.”