Max Scherzer has faced 11,879 batters in his 16 years in the majors, regular and postseason combined, but he has never stared down Shohei Ohtani.
The 39-year-old right-hander, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, should get the chance when he takes the mound for the Texas Rangers in the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
After blasting 14 home runs in a 25-game stretch from June 26 to July 28, Ohtani's pace has slowed dramatically. He has connected on just two home runs in the past 15 games and went eight games without one before hitting his 41st of the season in a 2-1 win against the Houston Astros on Sunday. "That's just a typical Scherzer outing," A's manager Mark Kotsay said. "He knows how to pitch. That's why he's been so successful in his career and why the Rangers went out and got him -- to eat innings and be a big-time performer."
Sandoval is going through a solid stretch of his own, posting a 2-1 mark and 1.86 ERA over his past five starts.
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