Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Pulled due to back stiffness, sore finger

Ohtani (elbow) was removed from his start Sunday against the Astros in the third inning after experiencing with back stiffness and a sore right middle finger, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports. He had allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while fanning two over 2.1 frames.

Taking the mound for the first time since June 6, Ohtani looked good through one inning, but unraveled afterward. He took a ground ball off his right hand early in the outing before his back acted up, prompting the Angels to pull him after just 49 pitches. After the game, Angels manager Mike Scioscia stated he believed these two issues were the reason for the drop in velocity that Ohtani experienced in the second and third innings, and that his left elbow is fine. The Angels hope Ohtani will be ready to make his next start, which is tentatively set for Sept. 9 against the White Sox, per Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register.