Mike Scioscia Calls Shohei Ohtani's Final Spring Game a 'Great Outing'

Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia took the high road after Shohei Ohtani battled through his final spring start Saturday in an intrasquad game against mostly minor leaguers.

Per MLB.com's Alan Eskew, Scioscia was complimentary of Ohtani after the Japanese star allowed two runs on two hits, five walks and two wild pitches among the 85 total pitches he threw.

"He put up some important markers, getting up six times and throwing more than 80 pitches," Scioscia said. "Hopefully he'll come out of it and we'll evaluate it. ... This was a great outing. He's working on some things. He'll be fine."

Per ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers, Ohtani's fastball velocity was between 92 and 94 mph throughout the game, and he was "bouncing as many pitches as he was missing bats early."

The early returns for Ohtani this spring have been disastrous. The 23-year-old gave up 17 runs over 13.2 innings, including eight earned runs and three homers in two Cactus League starts against MLB teams. 

Despite Ohtani's struggles, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Wednesday he is expected to be on the Angels' 25-man roster when the season begins and is tentatively scheduled to make his first start as a pitcher on March 31 against the Oakland Athletics. 

Entering his first season of professional baseball in the United States, Ohtani is ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect by MLB.com. He is expected to serve as a starting pitcher and designated hitter for the Angels, who open the regular season on Thursday against the A's.