Mike Trout hits 2 home runs, Shohei Ohtani shines on mound in Angels’ win

SEATTLE — Just like they drew it up.

The Angels’ superstar duo of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani carried the team to a badly needed 4-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.

Trout drove in all of the Angels’ runs with a pair of two-run homers and Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings, helping the Angels to just their third victory in their last 21 games. It was their first victory on the road since May 15, the day they went a season-high 11 games over .500. They’re now 30-35.

After homering in the third and seventh innings, Trout has blasted 49 career homers against the Mariners, his most against any opponent. He’s hit 30 of them in just 85 career games in Seattle.

“I don’t know,” Trout shrugged when asked about his success at T-Mobile Park. “We play here a lot. I see the ball good. I couldn’t tell you one particular thing. They’ve got a good backdrop.”

It was Trout’s second multi-homer game in the five games he’s played since returning from a three-game absence because of groin tightness. He’s hit 18 homers this season.

As for Ohtani, his strong performance was even more impressive because he and the rest of the team didn’t get into their hotel in Seattle until after 4 a.m. following their Wednesday night game at Dodger Stadium.

Interim manager Phil Nevin actually forgot who the Angels had scheduled to start on Thursday when he asked pitching coach Matt Wise in the first inning if the Angels had sent the next day’s starter up to Seattle early. Wise told Nevin that their starter was about to step up to the plate.

“Normally you would send your starter ahead and get him some nice rest,” Nevin said. “It’s amazing with how he prepares and he was ready tonight. … He had (all his pitches) working really. I think he clipped 100 mph a couple times. Location was good. He used the secondary stuff very well tonight and he was able to reach back and get that extra velocity.”

Ohtani has rebounded well from back-to-back rough starts against the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees. Since allowing nine runs in those two games, Ohtani has allowed just one run in 13 innings in his last two starts, against the Boston Red Sox and Mariners.

Ohtani has worked his ERA for the season down to 3.28, which is right in line with his 3.18 mark during his MVP season in 2021.

On Thursday night he battled through a long first inning, in part because he didn’t get a few borderline calls. After finishing the inning with his 23rd pitch, Ohtani stopped and had what appeared to be an amicable chat – no interpreter – with plate ump David Arrieta.

After that, Ohtani had little trouble.

He gave up just two singles and a walk over the next five innings, keeping the Mariners from even getting a runner into scoring position.

“I would have liked to keep my pitch count low, especially early in the game,” Ohtani said through his interpreter, “but for the most part I felt good with all my stuff.”

Ohtani also benefitted from some nice defense behind him.