Angels News: All Star Juan Soto Calls Out Shohei Ohtani Ahead of Series with Padres

Be careful what you wish for...

Before the Angels and San Diego Padres series got started, San Diego outfielder Juan Soto had some choice words for superstar Shohei Ohtani. Soto praised the Angels two-way star but also said that he would likely have trouble when facing off against the Padres lineup. 

Ohtani is scheduled to pitch against the Padres on Tuesday and it'll be fun to see how he fares against this lineup.

Juan Soto says Shohei Ohtani is impressive but “he’s going to have trouble facing this lineup tomorrow.” pic.twitter.com/yLwKsf9Dn9

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 4, 2023

These are strong words coming from Soto as the Padres offense has been wildly inconsistent all season long. This is also the same guy who said that the league would have trouble dealing with the Padres lineup this year but so far to date, it seems that the pitchers around the game have been just fine. 

I admire the confidence in his team by Soto but the stats have showed that San Diego is an average at best offensive squad. It's one thing to be confident but why add the fuel to the fire? Ohtani is one of the best pitchers in the game and he likely has some extra motivation now. 

On the year, Ohtani holds an ERA of 3.02 and he has struck out 127 batters in just 95.1 innings. He is a special player on the mound so calling him out is one questionable method. 

As this game plays out, we may see fireworks at Petco Park and not the ones being set off from any July 4 celebration. This is now must watch TV and it'll be interesting to see how it all goes.