The idea of taking things on a day-by-day basis is the oldest cliche in sports.
But few teams ever have been more compelled to live up to those words more than the Los Angeles Angels as they savor whatever remains of Shohei Ohtani's historic season.
Ohtani likely will be in the lineup as the designated hitter Saturday night when the Angels visit the New York Mets in the middle contest of a three-game series.
Chase Silseth (4-1, 4.00 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Angels against fellow right-hander Carlos Carrasco (3-7, 6.42 ERA).
The Angels earned a 3-1 win Friday night as Ohtani doubled and scored Los Angeles' second run in the third inning. Patrick Sandoval recorded the victory by tossing six solid frames.
Ohtani finished 1-for-2 and drew a trio of walks Friday, two days after he tore the UCL in his right elbow while pitching against the Cincinnati Reds in the opener of a doubleheader.
Ohtani will not pitch again this season and will receive a second opinion before deciding if he'll undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time. The two-way superstar had the surgery following his rookie season in 2018.
For now, though, Ohtani — who leads the majors with 44 homers and ranks among the American League's top five with a .305 average and 91 RBIs — is expected to remain the Angels' designated hitter. On the mound, he is 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA.
"As we sit here today, he's going to play until he tells us he's not," Angels general manager Perry Minasian said prior to Friday's game. "Obviously, he's having a special year and is a big part of this club. We're excited to still have him in the lineup."
The Mets will hope to get more from their lineup Saturday night than they did Friday against Sandoval and a trio of relievers. New York was limited to four hits, including Francisco Lindor's third-inning homer, and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
The Mets also ran themselves out of a potential game-tying rally in the seventh when Danny Mendick was thrown out at home as he tagged up and tried to score on Brandon Nimmo's fly out to shallow left.
The inability to convert opportunities sent the Mets into last place in the National League East and left Kodai Senga with a hard-luck loss after he allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out 10 over 6 2/3 innings.
"Wish we could have rewarded it," Mets manager Buck Showalter said. "We had what, four hits and a solo homer? That's about it. Their guy was pretty good."
Silseth didn't factor into the decision in his most recent start Aug. 19, when he gave up five runs over 3 2/3 innings in the Angels' 7-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener of a doubleheader. He has never opposed the Mets.
Carrasco took the loss last Sunday after allowing three runs over four innings as the Mets fell to the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-3. He is 3-1 with a 2.68 ERA in 12 career games (six starts) against the Angels.
—Field Level Media