HOUSTON — the last time they faced Shohei Ohtani more than four months ago.The Astros will get another crack at Ohtani on Sunday afternoon when they conclude a four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels.Ohtani will make first start on the mound since June 6. He missed 22 games on the disabled list with a right UCL sprain but returned exclusively as a designated hitter on July 3.Article continues below ...When Houston’s hitters saw him April 24 in Houston Bryan Holaday Jersey , Ohtani allowed four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings. He threw 98 pitches and issued five walks in an 8-7 victory.To prepare for his 10th career start, Ohtani threw up to 50 pitches in bullpen sessions and will be on a pitch limit.“Very excited,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia told reporters on Thursday. “But obviously, I don’t know if we could put those expectations that we had for Shohei when he really hit stride, have those expectations what he’s going to come out and do for Sunday. Hopefully, he’s going to get back to that.”Ohtani will oppose Gerrit Cole, who is 2-0 with a 3.71 ERA in his last three starts after a three-start losing streak. Cole is 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA in two starts against the Angels (66-70) this season and 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA in four career starts. With rosters expanding Saturday throughout the majors, the Astros added two pitchers with one, left-hander Cionel Perez, poised to join an already crowded bullpen.Astros manager A.J. Hinch had 10 relievers at his disposal on Saturday as the Astros (83-53) rallied for a 7-3 victory. With right-hander Charlie Morton set for reinstatement from the 10-day disabled list next weekend in Boston Brad Ziegler Jersey , left-hander Framber Valdez or right-hander Josh James, who made his debut against the Angels, is likely to be bumped from the rotation.Currently, Hinch has eight right-handers and two lefties in his bullpen heading into the finale of a four-game series with the Angels.“It depends on how our pitching staff goes,” Hinch said of predicting future bullpen usage. “Most of the season our starters have logged the majority of the innings as they should; they’ve gone deep into games. I know I’ve cut back a little bit of that in August, some of it out of performance, some of it out of trying to work the bullpen in there. I guess we have the weapons, but I’m still going to read the game.“I don’t think I need to aggressively change a ton. We’re trying to get to 27 outs, we’re trying to get to as many wins. If the starters get the bulk of those outs, great. If I’ve got to go to the pen early I have the reinforcements. Most of the time in September you don’t worry about running out of pitching.”The Angels on Saturday selected the contract of veteran right-hander Junichi Tazawa from Triple-A Salt Lake. Tazawa is the fifth Japanese native in club history http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-rod-carew-jersey , including Ohtani. He signed as a free agent with the Angels on July 13.Tazawa, 32, spent his first seven seasons in the majors with the Boston Red Sox, finishing 17-20 with a 3.58 ERA and four saves in 56 appearances (four starts) from 2009 to 2016. He subsequently made 16 appearances with the Miami Marlins in parts of two seasons before being released May 21 and went 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA in seven games with Salt Lake.“He still has plenty of velocity, spins the ball really well, and he’s a veteran pitcher that can make pitches,” Scioscia said. “He threw the ball well down below and hopefully he’ll continue to bring it up here and throw the ball with the consistency that he has.” Trivia time: When is the last time the major league leader in ERA had fewer wins than the guy who finished last?The answer is coming up in a few paragraphs, but the question is relevant because it could happen again this year. Lucas Giolito of the Chicago White Sox, currently bringing up the rear among pitchers who qualify for the ERA title, notched his 10th victory of the season Saturday night Brian Dozier Jersey , which is two more than major league ERA leader Jacob deGrom has.DeGrom’s plight has been well documented. Pitching for the woeful Mets, he’s 8-8 with a 1.71 ERA. Giolito is 10-9 with a 5.85 ERA. It’s a stark example of why a pitcher’s won-lost record can be deceiving, but Giolito’s progress is worth watching over the final few weeks of the season. The White Sox are 18-17 since the All-Star break and showing signs that their rebuild is heading in the right direction.Left-hander Carlos Rodon has a 2.71 ERA in 13 starts this year, and highly touted prospect Michael Kopech is in the majors now — he earned his first career victory Sunday. If Giolito — a first-round draft pick by the Nationals in 2012 — starts performing better, then Chicago’s rotation could look even stronger going forward. Giolito had 63 strikeouts and 60 walks before the All-Star break. Since then, that ratio has improved to 40-to-15.Meanwhile, down in the minors, the White Sox have one of the game’s top prospects just waiting to be unleashed. Outfielder Eloy Jimenez is hitting .364 for Triple-A Charlotte.As for the answer to that trivia question: In 1992, Bill Swift of the Giants led the majors with a 2.08 ERA and went 10-4. Scott Sanderson finished with a 4.93 ERA, the highest among qualifying pitchers http://www.twinsfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-morneau-jersey , but he went 12-11 for the Yankees. In 2004, there was a tie in wins between ERA leader Jake Peavy (15-6, 2.27) and last-place finisher Shawn Estes (15-8, 5.84).Other developments from around the majors:LONG WAY BACKSince divisional play began in 1969, the furthest any team has finished out of first place is 52 games, a mark set by the 1998 Florida Marlins in the NL East. (That was a dreary year for baseball in the Sunshine State. Tampa Bay finished 51 games behind the Yankees in the AL East.)This season’s Baltimore Orioles could end up a lot worse than that. They’re already 52 ½ games behind first-place Boston in the AL East, and there’s still plenty of time to sink lower. The Orioles are on pace for 116 losses, and their schedule down the stretch isn’t likely to ease up. Their final 10 games at the end of September are against the Yankees, Red Sox and Astros.HIGHLIGHTJose Altuve turned a routine flare into a double play with a bit of quick thinking Friday night. With a man on first and one out, the Houston second baseman let David Fletcher’s soft popup drop near the edge of the infield Kirby Puckett Jersey , then picked up the ball and threw to first in time to get the batter. Kole Calhoun, the Angels‘ runner on first, headed toward second when the ball dropped, but he was still caught in a rundown after the play at first. Calhoun was eventually tagged out.LINE OF THE WEEKPhiladelphia’s Aaron Nola struck out nine in eight innings, beating Washington’s Max Scherzer 2-0 in a matchup of National League Cy Young candidates Thursday. Nola allowed five hits and lowered his ERA to 2.13.