HOUSTON (AP) — about Shohei Ohtani in his second at-bat against the Angels‘ pitcher him in the third inning on Sunday night.“The velocity drop was probably the obvious Manuel Margot Jersey ,” Springer said. “He was throwing 98-99 and then came out throwing 88-92. When it’s that obvious I hope he’s OK.”Springer hit a two-run homer and finished a triple shy of the cycle to lead the Houston Astros to a 4-2 win over Los Angeles in Ohtani’s return to the mound.Ohtani (4-2) lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his first time pitching since June 6 because of an elbow strain. Both of the hits he allowed were to Springer — a leadoff single and his two-run shot in the third that made it 2-0.Springer was right about something being wrong with Ohtani. After the game Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Ohtani was dealing with tightness in his back and a sore right ring finger after he deflected a ball off of it in the second inning. But Scioscia doesn’t think either problem should cause him to miss more time.“First two innings were electric. That’s what you expect,” Scioscia said. “Third inning obviously his stuff wasn’t as crisp … there was definitely a drop of velocity but not connected at all to the thing that he had with his elbow before. Hopefully he has good workouts in between and be ready to go next week.”Alex Bregman finished with two hits and his solo homer in the seventh inning pushed the lead to 4-2.Ohtani joined Babe Ruth as the only players in major league history to start 10 games as a pitcher and hit 10 homers in a single season. The rookie, who has 15 homers, missed almost a month after he was injured before returning as the team’s designated hitter on July 3.He threw 49 pitches, striking out two and walking two.“I gave up that two-run shot so I failed to do my job as a starting pitcher,” he said in Japanese through an interpreter. “So, that’s a disappointment right there. Body-wise, I really can’t say much at this point. I will wait until (Monday) to see how my body reacts. As of now my body feels fine.”Houston starter Gerrit Cole (13-5) allowed six hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings for his third straight win after losing three in a row. He struck out nine to move past teammate Justin Verlander (240) and into first place in the American League with 243 strikeouts. Roberto Osuna pitched a perfect ninth for his 12th save.After Springer’s single in the first, Ohtani walked Carlos Correa with two outs http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-hand-jersey , but he struck out Tyler White to end the threat. He pitched a 1-2-3 second inning before Tony Kemp drew a walk to start the third. Springer then sent a 77 mph slider into the Crawford Boxes in left field with two strikes for his first homer since Aug. 5.“He’s been teetering on that a little bit over the last couple weeks and every hitter needs to feel a little bit of success no matter the work they’re putting in,” manager A.J. Hinch said of Springer. “So tonight he put it all together and really did a nice job at the top of the lineup.”Jose Altuve grounded out after that and Ohtani was replaced by Jim Johnson.Jose Fernandez got things going for the Angels in the fourth with a single before Cole plunked Taylor Ward. Fernandez advanced to third on a passed ball by catcher Martin Maldonado. White grabbed a grounder hit by Francisco Arcia and threw home in time to beat Fernandez for the first out of the inning.The Angels cut the lead to 2-1 when Jefry Marte grounded into a force out that scored Ward and left Arcia out at second.Springer doubled on a ball that was just inches away from being a home run to start Houston’s fifth. The Astros pushed the lead to 3-1 later in the inning when Correa drew a bases-loaded walk.Ward singled with no outs in the sixth before a one-out single by Marte. Cole struck out Eric Young Jr. and was replaced by Tony Sipp, who walked Kole Calhoun to load the bases. Joe Smith took over and hit David Fletcher with a pitch to send a run home and cut the lead to 3-2 before Correa made a nice catch on a ball hit by Mike Trout to end the inning.TRAINER’S ROOMAngels: LF Justin Upton was out of the lineup with a concussion after he was injured Saturday night. The injury came when he slid to avoid a collision with Andrelton Simmons when the two were tracking a pop up in the fifth inning. He is listed as day to day.K’s ALL DAYCole and Verlander are the first teammates to have 240 or more strikeouts each since Kerry Wood (266) and Mark Prior (245) did it for the Chicago Cubs in 2003. The last teammates in the AL to pile up that many K’s were Nolan Ryan (327) and Frank Tanana (261) for the Angels in 1976.UP NEXTAngels: Matt Shoemaker (1-0, 4.76 ERA) will come off the disabled list to make his first start since March 31 when Los Angeles opens a three-game series at Texas on Monday. Shoemaker, who had surgery on his right forearm in May, is 4-2 with a 5.68 ERA in six career starts against the Rangers.Astros: Dallas Keuchel (10-10, 3.58) is scheduled to start for Houston in the first of three games against the Twins on Monday. Keuchel allowed eight hits and three runs in six innings of a 5-4 win over Oakland in his last start but did not factor in the decision. CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox say they have a strong pitch for Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Just don’t expect them to sign both star sluggers.General manager Rick Hahn doused that idea Saturday, saying the White Sox aren’t likely to get both premier free agents due to concerns about future payroll flexibility.“These are obviously not the last two free agents that we intend to add in the future,” Hahn said at the team’s annual fan convention. “Having two commitments of the magnitude they’re gonna require on the same roster probably limits your flexibility and might not be the strongest move for us long term.”The White Sox have six straight losing seasons. They went 62-100 last year — the most losses for them since the 1970 team dropped a franchise-record 106.What they’re selling is hope Austin Hedges Jersey , that they’re poised to turn the corner. Adding a star in his prime at age 26, whether it’s Machado or Harper, could accelerate the rebuild. That’s been the pitch to the offseason’s two biggest free-agent prizes.“The main theme is essentially the chance to be part of something special over an extended period of time in a great city,” Hahn said. “That’s a big part of it. Now, we have to back that up in showing what we have coming and why we believe in this future and the resources behind it, the support we provide our players and the environment and culture that (manager Rick Renteria) has helped cultivate and where we are as an organization. But the gist of it is we’re getting poised to go on a long-term run here, and you’ve got a chance to be part of something special with a great organization.”Harper, the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year and 2015 MVP, led Washington with 34 homers Carlos Asuaje Jersey , 100 RBIs and 130 walks last season. He also tied for the team lead with 103 runs and made the All-Star team for the sixth time in his seven seasons.Machado is a four-time All-Star with 33 or more homers in each of the past four seasons. He hit .297 with 37 homers and 107 RBIs in 162 games, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers win their second straight pennant following a trade from Baltimore on July 18.Machado visited Guaranteed Rate Field in December, a meeting that included slugger Jose Abreu. Chicago acquired Machado’s brother-in-law, Yonder Alonso, in a trade with Cleveland, and signed their good friend Jon Jay.The White Sox also bolstered their pitching, adding starter Ivan Nova and relievers Alex Colome and Kelvin Herrera.Hahn said he would be “personally disappointed if we don’t convert” by signing Machado or Harper. Even if the two big prizes on the market go elsewhere, the White Sox believe they are in a better place because of their young players.Infielder Yoan Moncada and pitchers such as Lucas Giolito and Michael Kopech — who will miss the season after having Tommy John surgery — have flashed potential in the majors. One of the game’s top hitting prospects, Eloy Jimenez http://www.padresfanproshop.com/authentic-brad-hand-jersey , could debut early in the season. He pounded Double-A and Triple-A pitching last year.Dylan Cease might also join the rotation at some point. The 23-year-old right-hander dominated at Class A and Double-A last year, going a combined 12-2 with a 2.40 ERA and 160 strikeouts over 124 innings.“The minor league system has been doing a great job in trying to get these guys acclimated and ready to make the next step to the big leagues,” Renteria said. “We have now an organization in which competition is vibrant. And competition is good. You have these guys coming to camp this spring. Everybody’s gonna be able to put an eye on them, see what they can bring to the table. … Talent puts us in a really good place moving forward.”Notes: Nicky Delmonico fueled the crosstown rivalry when a boy asked during a kids question-and-answer session which team’s fans annoy him the most. “Cubs fans,” he replied as the crowd cheered. Fellow panelists Tim Anderson, Adam Engel and Yolmer Sanchez agreed.