A look at what’s happening around the majors today:
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BACK FROM BLISTER?
Philadelphia slugger Bryce Harper could return to the lineup for the finale of a two-game series at Texas after an infected blister on his left index finger sidelined him for two games last weekend at Washington.
Phillies interim manager Rob Thomson said the infection had improved enough for Harper to be available off the bench in the opener against the Rangers.
A six-time All-Star and this year’s leader in voting for National League DH, Harper entered Tuesday hitting a team-best .326, and his OPS (1.013) was second in the NL to St. Louis’ Paul Goldschmidt.
“When guys DH, they tend to take a lot more swings,” Thomson said. “I just want to make sure we weren’t going to irritate it.”
SHOHEI STREAK
Shohei Ohtani tries to win three straight starts for the first time this season when the Los Angeles Angels host the Royals.
The reigning AL MVP is 5-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 11 starts, striking out 77 and walking 15 in 60 1/3 innings. The 27-year-old right-hander is coming off a 5-2 win over Boston on June 9 and a 4-1 victory at Seattle last Thursday, when he pitched six shutout innings for his first scoreless outing in a month.
Ohtani has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of 11 starts. His only previous outing against the Royals was on June 6, 2018, when he gave up one run over four innings.
The two-way star had a huge game at the plate Tuesday night, hitting two three-run homers and driving in a career-high eight runs. Still, the Royals hung on for a 12-11 victory in 11 innings.
Ohtani crushed a 423-foot homer in the sixth and a tying, 438-foot shot in the ninth, giving him the biggest RBI game of his five-year stateside career. The AL MVP then set the…
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