Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels) made up for his struggles on the mound with his performance at the plate.

Ohtani started in the leadoff spot and went 4-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored in the Angels’ game against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, on Thursday. He raised his season batting average to .274 from .262. The Angels fell to 6-9 and lost their third straight.

Ohtani suffered his second loss of the season (5-2) after starting against Houston on March 3. He threw 107 pitches in six innings, allowing five runs on nine hits (two homers) with one walk and six strikeouts. Ohtani’s struggles prompted a number of comments in the United States, including “he needs to adjust his primary weapon, the sweeper.”

He responded with a hit in his first at-bat. 토토사이트 Ohtani led off the first inning with a single up the middle. It didn’t lead to a run, but it was a sign of his hot hitting.

Ohtani led off the top of the third inning with a single, trailing 0-1. It was an RBI triple that stretched and dropped in front of the right-center field fence. That gave the Angels a chance to rally and tie the game at 1-1.

But a mound collapse made it a 7-1 game, and the Angels bats came alive in the top of the seventh. Hunter Renfroe led off with a solo shot to left to make it 7-2, and Luis Renfroe followed with a double and a walk to Rivan Soto to put runners on first and second. That’s when Ohtani stepped to the plate and hit an RBI single to left field to make it 3-7. The Angels then scored two more runs on a wild pitch and a Mike Trout RBI single to cut the lead to 5-7.

Ohtani led off the bottom of the ninth with a single. Fans were hoping for an inside-the-park home run to complete the hit-for-the-cycle, but Ohtani singled up the middle for his fourth hit of the day. Ohtani scored on a wild pitch, helping to make it a 6-9 game, but it wasn’t enough to put the game out of reach.