Angels' Ohtani drawing attention in series with Rangers

There was nearly as much interest in the pitcher throwing an afternoon bullpen session Saturday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas, prior to the Los Angeles Angels' game with the Texas Rangers as there was when the game's starters hit the field a few hours later.

Such is the life of Angels right-hander Shohei Ohtani, the rookie two-way player from Japan who is working his way back to pitching after suffering an ulnar collateral ligament sprain in his right arm in July.

Ohtani pinch hit on Saturday after starting at designated hitter in the past seven Angels games and ripped a three-run homer as part of a five-run seventh inning for Los Angeles to help it earn an 11-7 win over the Rangers.

The start of Saturday's game was delayed two and a half hours because of rain and lightning.

Right-hander Jaime Barria (8-7, 3.50 ERA) will get the start in the series finale for the Angels, while Texas will counter with veteran right-hander Bartolo Colon (7-10, 5.19).

Ohtani threw 20 pitches in the bullpen on Saturday in his third pitching workout in the past eight days.

"I want to get ready and prepare myself with no setbacks," Ohtani said through a translator after Saturday's session. "I just wanted to check my form and timing."

Ohtani's next step in the process, according to Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia, will be facing live hitters at the Angels' minor league facility in Tempe later this week when the team is in Phoenix for a two-game interleague series versus Arizona. Continued success could clear the way for Ohtani to return to pitching this season.

"I know his workout in Arizona will be probably be more aggressive than today," Scioscia told MLB.com about Ohtani. "He'll do what he needs to do in his 'pen (session)."

Ohtani is batting .235 with six homers, 15 RBI and a .780 OPS in 35 games at designated hitter or as a pinch-hitter since returning from the disabled list on July 3. As a pitcher this season, he's 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA over nine starts.

Adrian Beltre returned to the lineup for Texas on Saturday, slotted in the designated hitter spot rather than his normal position at third base as he nurses a sore left hamstring. Beltre missed three games with the injury and went 1 for 4 against the Angels before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the ninth.

How Beltre feels after Saturday's game will determine if he will continue in the Rangers' designated hitter platoon, which would likely also include Shin-Soo Choo, the team's leading hitter as well as outfielder Nomar Mazara and Joey Gallo.

"We'll look at how Adrian comes out of the game today," Rangers manager Jeff Banister told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Saturday. "Probably rotate them both (Beltre and Choo) into the DH spot.

"Maz (Mazara) is coming off being on the DL. Probably need to get him off his legs here at some point. Joey (Gallo) has been going at it hard. So, we can hopefully give all these guys a day at some point where we can manage the DH spot and the outfield spots fairly easily."

Barria is 2-0 with a 0.82 ERA in a pair of starts against the Rangers this season. He last faced Texas on June 1, when he struck out six over six scoreless innings.

Colon has won his last two starts after losing five straight and is seeking his 248th win. He is 4-4 with a 5.64 ERA in 11 starts and two relief appearances at home this season and is 12-9 with a 3.88 ERA in 26 starts and one relief appearance in his career against the Angels.