ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Shohei Ohtani left the mound with finger pain for a third straight start Friday night.
With his Los Angeles Angels in freefall and his future uncertain before the trade deadline, the two-way superstar is struggling against a host of challenges even more daunting than the blister and cracked fingernail that are preventing him from pitching at his unique peak.
Ohtani allowed four earned runs on five hits and left the mound in the sixth inning shortly before Mauricio Dubon's tiebreaking two-run single in the Houston Astros' 7-5 victory over the Angels.