This might be the most highly anticipated game of this highly forgettable year. Glenn Otto gets his second start tonight. 

His first start was nothing short of remarkable. Five shutout innings against the Astros, who boast the best offense in the American League. He surrendered just two hits, with no walks, striking out seven.

It was those seven strikeouts that were so electrifying. His slider made great hitters look bad.

Tonight he faces the Angels, the team directly ahead of the Rangers in the West. Well, directly is a bit misleading. Yes, they are in fourth. But 19.5 games ahead. So, while they are in front, the Rangers are so far back they cannot even see their tail lights.

As if there aren’t enough eyes on Otto’s start, his mound opponent has the eyes of two countries on him every time he takes the mound. Shohei Ohtani goes for the Angels tonight. He is in the middle of a brilliant MVP season, doing things in this game that nobody has done before. He’s 8-1 with an ERA of 3.00, which in itself is a good season. His 42 home runs makes it unprecedented.

But maybe having the attention on Ohtani will make it a bit easier for Otto to just pitch his game. Especially that slider. 

It’s an amazing slider.

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