“I’m not afraid of Ohtani. Our bats are going to be tough.”

Juan Soto (San Diego Padres) made this comment in front of the local media before the game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on April 4 (ET), and it caused quite a stir. It was a provocation of sorts, suggesting that the Padres’ bats would be no match for the Angels.

As it turns out, Soto’s taunt was not an empty one. Ohtani dropped to 4-7 on the season after allowing five runs on seven hits (two home runs) in five innings with five strikeouts and four walks in a loss to San Diego on Friday. His ERA spiked to 3.32. The San Diego offense, which has been on a roll lately, has really bothered Ohtani.

That said, I don’t think Soto will be a complete turnaround. In fact, I didn’t get a clear shot at Ohtani. Rather, it was a complete loss. Soto started in left field and went 1-for-4 with a walk, a strikeout, and an RBI. Against Ohtani, went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

Soto first faced Ohtani with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning. He saw a cutter on the first pitch, but then watched three consecutive pitches enter the strike zone. His second pitch, a 92-mph fastball, went down the middle, and his third, an 88-mph cutter, hit the body of the plate. Then a four-seam 76.6 mph curveball came in low and I had to run back to the dugout. It was a moment when he seemed to be focusing on his fastball, only to be completely blown away by an off-speed pitch.

Ohtani’s second encounter with Soto came in the bottom of the fourth inning. Soto led off with a walk and a 1B2S. Ohtani chose a curveball, sweeper, and cutter, respectively, and Soto responded with a four-pitch splitter, which he retired on a grounder to shortstop. It was a surprise splitter.온라인바카라

Perhaps Soto’s biggest disappointment came in the bottom of the fifth, when he had runners on first and third with no outs. This time, Ohtani opted for a power-to-power matchup. He took a 97-mph fastball for a strike and then dropped a curveball for a 1B2S count, where Ohtani opted for a 97.4-mph high fastball that Soto’s bat came up and fouled off. Soto would later add a walk and an RBI grounder to third, but it was not a satisfying day for him personally.