Vladdy Jr. Meets Shohei Ohtani in MVP Showdown

Two AL MVP-favorites went head-to-head in Thursday's series finale.

It's the matchup everyone's been waiting for all year—two AL MVP candidates squaring off in unique fashion.

For the Blue Jays, it's Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the excitable 22-year-old slugger who hits the ball harder than anyone in baseball. For the Los Angeles Angels, it's 'unicorn' Shohei Ohtani, a fireball-throwing, home run-hitting, two-way phenom from Oshu, Japan. 

Ohtani is the betting favorite for the MVP hardware at the moment, but Guerrero Jr. did his best to change that in Thursday's 6-3 Blue Jays loss.

Guerrero Jr. came into the game riding a bit of a skid, batting just .178 with a .578 OPS in 49 August plate appearances, but he jumped on Ohtani early. Guerrero Jr. took the first pitch he saw from Ohtani in the opening frame and pounded a groundball through the left side of the infield.

"Vladdy, right now, is struggling a little bit. He's not the Vladdy that was locked in," Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo said.

"I would say that's not fair when somebody is struggling little bit, but it's fun to watch," Montoyo said of the Guerrero-Ohtani showdown. "It's two guys fighting for the MVP, so at the end of the day, it was fun to watch Vladdy get a base hit out of it."

In April, Guerrero Jr. finally showed Jays fans the power presence he was known for in the minor leagues. In May, he stayed hot, and in June he cemented himself as one of baseball's best with 10 home runs and a 1.217 OPS. July was good too, but he's hit a bit of a wall here in August.  

Baseball Savant

This last little stretch represents really the first time Guerrero Jr. has struggled this season. In a 162-game season, slumps are bound to occur, yet there are some reasons why he might be struggling; less plate discipline, upset timing and fatigue have all contributed to his struggles. 

"It's a long season and it's tough to hit .300," Montoyo said. "He's going through a little struggle, but look out whenever he gets hot again."

With Marcus Semien on base in the fourth, Guerrero Jr. stepped in for his second at-bat. The Jays No. 3 hitter worked the count to 2-2 as the camera zoomed in on Ohtani's hand, which held the baseball in a split-finger grip. He eventually settled on the slider—breaking off a perfectly placed spinner on the outside corner to get Guerrero Jr. swinging.

In the sixth, patient Vladdy returned. After chasing another slider from Ohtani, Guerrero Jr. threw his hands in the air in frustration. He knew better than to chase, so, when Ohtani dialed it up to 99 mph two pitches later, Toronto's first baseman laid off. One pitch later, he worked a walk.

The Angels outlasted the Jays in the series finale, largely because Blue Jays starter José Berríos battled his command early on. The right-hander walked four batters, the third time he's walked four or more this year, and the Angels sprayed the ball over the place.

The 27-year-old went 4 1/3 innings, allowing six earned runs on eight hits. He didn't record a strikeout until 16th batter of the game, and wound up punching out just three batters in the loss. Berríos wasn't too shaken up afterwards, though.

"Tonight, I was missing my command with the fastball," Berríos said. "When I don't locate my fastball, my secondary pitches don't work well. I had to battle pitch-by-pitch. I'm trying, I gave my 100 percent, and I feel good about it." 

Toronto split the series with the Angels and continues its West Coast road trip with a three-game series in Seattle beginning Friday.