The Los Angeles Angels have made their intentions clear when it comes to trading Shohei Ohtani ahead of the 2023 MLB trade deadline: the Japanese superstar will be staying put. With Ohtani's free agency upcoming, the Angels will try to make a push for a World Series run despite being behind in the AL West standings. Thursday was a perfect example why, as Ohtani thoroughly dominated a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. The Angels star's day ended early in Game 2, but it was only because of cramping and doesn't appear to be anything too serious, per The Athletic's Sam Blum.

The Japanese superstar had a historic day before leaving that second game against Detroit. In Game 1 of the doubleheader, Ohtani tossed the first complete-game shutout of his career, giving up just one hit and striking out eight in a 6-0 victory.

Then, before heading into the locker room for Game 2, Ohtani hit two home runs to help spur an 11-4 Angels victory. While it would have been fun to see Ohtani go for a third home run, it made sense for Phil Nevin to pull Ohtani from the game and not risk anything in a blowout. The Angels had the game well in hand and Ohtani had already done so much over the two games.

Los Angeles moved to 54-49 by sweeping the doubleheader against Detroit in dominant fashion. The Angels are six games behind the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West, with the Houston Astros sitting between the two teams. The Wild Card is a more likely path to the playoffs, with Ohtani and Co. three game behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final spot. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees stand between Los Angeles and Toronto.

With Mike Trout hopefully returning soon, the Angels are hoping to make a run with Trout and Shohei Ohtani leading the way. Let's hope these cramps don't linger or turn into something more serious.