Shohei Ohtani's Pitching Load Likely to Increase as Angels Hope to Make Playoffs

We could see Ohtani on the mound every fourth or fifth day as we approach the fall

The Los Angeles Angels are a little over 50 games into the season and stand five games over .500 as of Thursday. The Halos are in a good spot right now as they are on a four-game win streak and have a much-needed off-day.

Although they're happy where they are, at the moment, they still need to get that playoff monkey off their back. The Angels are in an eight-season playoff drought and are doing everything they can to get there finally. Superstar Mike Trout has only appeared in the playoffs once, where he got swept, and their two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has yet to play October baseball. Anaheim wants to get him there, and so does the front office, including their general manager Perry Minasian. Because of that, Minasain says we could see the Japanese sensation pitch load increase as we get later into the season. 

“Once we get to the off days, that’s where it’s going to be who’s pitching the best,” Minasian said. “We can get creative. … We have to get there. We’ve got to stay healthy. But what we’re doing now has no basis on what we’ll do going forward.”

It's still up for debate; however, Perry also said we could see the two-way star only get four days of rest. 

“I’m open to that,” Minasian said. “I think he would be too. I can’t do it now. But you get to August and September, I’d think he’d do it. The guy wants to win.”

The Halos might need that as we inch closer and closer to the end of the season. I know it's May, but you can never be too relaxed. The Angels are in a grueling division, and two teams are ahead of them. Can they really overtake the defending champion Houston Astros or the up-and-coming Texas Rangers? We're not sure, but even the wild card spots will be a battle. Right now, you have the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and then the Angels in the wild-card picture. 

If they want to keep Shohei, they need to show him they're serious about winning, and short rest might be the way to go. We'll see how Shohei handles it once the time comes.