<p>So much for Friday night&#8217;s ace-on-ace matchup.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Shohei Ohtani was expected to take the mound against Kevin Gausman in the first game of this weekend&#8217;s series between the Los Angeles Angels and the Blue Jays in Toronto but, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic, plans have changed.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shohei Ohtani will now be pitching Game 1 tomorrow at 10:10 a.m. PT vs. Detroit.</p>
<p>He&#8217;d been scheduled to pitch on Friday in Toronto.</p>
<p>— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamBlum3/status/1684308125501775874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The Angels are currently in Detroit facing the Tigers and they&#8217;ll head to Toronto following the conclusion of that series. The second game of a three-game set was rained out on Wednesday so the two teams will play a double-header on Thursday. Ohtani will take the mound for the Angels in the first game, so he won&#8217;t be available to pitch this weekend against the Blue Jays.</p>
<p>Given the Tigers aren&#8217;t a contending team and the Angels are chasing the Blue Jays in the standings, the decision to start their ace against Detroit on Thursday rather than against Toronto on Friday is somewhat strange. That being said, Ohtani has struggled lately as a pitcher, as he&#8217;s allowed 14 earned runs across 16 1/3 innings over three starts in July.</p>
<p>This is unfortunate news for the many Blue Jays fans <a href="https://dailyhive.com/toronto/blue-jays-ohtani-angels-tickets">who paid high prices to acquire tickets to see Ohtani pitch on Friday</a>, though he&#8217;ll still likely be in the lineup as Los Angeles&#8217; designated hitter for all three games in the series.</p>
<hr />
<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold" style="text-align: center;"><a class="text-accent" href="https://gml-grp.com/C.ashx?btag=a_24038b_2065c_&amp;affid=7966&amp;siteid=24038&amp;adid=2065&amp;c=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO</a></h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61491" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" srcset="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1.png 727w, https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1-300x167.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" /></p>

So much for Friday night's ace-on-ace matchup.



Shohei Ohtani was expected to take the mound against Kevin Gausman in the first game of this weekend's series between the Los Angeles Angels and the Blue Jays in Toronto but, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic, plans have changed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shohei Ohtani will now be pitching Game 1 tomorrow at 10:10 a.m. PT vs. Detroit.</p>
He'd been scheduled to pitch on Friday in Toronto.

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamBlum3/status/1684308125501775874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Angels are currently in Detroit facing the Tigers and they'll head to Toronto following the conclusion of that series. The second game of a three-game set was rained out on Wednesday so the two teams will play a double-header on Thursday. Ohtani will take the mound for the Angels in the first game, so he won't be available to pitch this weekend against the Blue Jays.

Given the Tigers aren't a contending team and the Angels are chasing the Blue Jays in the standings, the decision to start their ace against Detroit on Thursday rather than against Toronto on Friday is somewhat strange. That being said, Ohtani has struggled lately as a pitcher, as he's allowed 14 earned runs across 16 1/3 innings over three starts in July.

This is unfortunate news for the many Blue Jays fans <a href="https://dailyhive.com/toronto/blue-jays-ohtani-angels-tickets">who paid high prices to acquire tickets to see Ohtani pitch on Friday</a>, though he'll still likely be in the lineup as Los Angeles' designated hitter for all three games in the series.

<hr />

<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold" style="text-align: center;"><a class="text-accent" href="https://gml-grp.com/C.ashx?btag=a_24038b_2065c_&amp;affid=7966&amp;siteid=24038&amp;adid=2065&amp;c=" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">ARTICLE PRESENTED BY BETANO</a></h2>
<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-61491" src="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/Betano_ON_Base_727x404-1.png" alt="" width="727" height="404" />

Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch for the Angels during this weekend’s series in Toronto

It’s a new season, but the same issue plagues the Blue Jays in 2025

Despite bullpen struggles, the Blue Jays have a bigger problem under the hood

Blue Jays GDB – 37.0: Jays look to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Angels

Throwback Thursday: The Blue Jays acquire Devon White from Angels

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel (18) celebrates after scoring the winning run on a double by right fielder Jorge Soler (12, not pictured) as Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman (23)walks off the field during the ninth inning at Angel Stadium.

Recent articles from Cam Lewis

Breaking News