ANAHEIM, Calif. – The only time Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver looked rattled was late in Thursday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays when the home crowd reacted to a hockey score on the video board.
Otherwise, the lanky right-hander had total focus on the job at hand. Weaver allowed three hits in his first career complete game, and the Angels cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Blue Jays.
“We had (Lyle) Overbay in there getting ready to lock it in and the crowd goes crazy,” Weaver said. “I had to step off a little bit.”
The distraction hardly registered. The Blue Jays entered with a major league-leading .297 batting average only to get tied up by Weaver, who retired 18 of the last 19 batters and finished with 103 pitches. Weaver’s only mistake was a home run to Aaron Hill in the fourth.
“The Blue Jays had been swinging the bats exceptionally and for him to come in there and hold them to a run and go the distance, it was pretty impressive,” Angels catcher Jeff Mathis said.
Toronto lost for just the second time in seven games, while Los Angeles won for the fourth time in five.
The victory for Weaver (3-1) came one day after the Blue Jays embarrassed the Angels in a 13-1 victory, getting 15 hits.
With four Angels starters on the disabled list – John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Kelvim Escobar and Dustin Moseley – it has been the perfect time for Weaver to assert himself.
The only thing is that Weaver isn’t doing anything different.
“You just go out and take every game the same,” Weaver said. “Just locate pitches. Don’t try to outdo yourself and try to do too much. Just try to hit spots and for the most part I was able to do that tonight.”
Batting in the designated hitter spot for only the third time this season, catcher Mike Napoli gave the Angels a 2-0 lead in the second with his fifth homer.
The Blue Jays and starter Robert Ray were hurt by some shaky defence in the third inning. The Angels’ Chone Figgins reached on a bunt single, stole second and went to third when the throw from catcher Rod Barajas went into centre field. Figgins scored on a sacrifice fly from Maicer Izturis.
Ray (0-1) settled down, though, retiring 11 of 12 batters starting with Izturis’ sacrifice fly.
Hill narrowed the Blue Jays’ deficit to 3-1 in the fourth with a home run to left. It was not only Hill’s team-leading eighth home run, it was also his major league-leading 50th hit.
“(Weaver) is always deceptive,” Hill said. “When you live on the outside corner like that, sometimes it’s hard to pick up the ball. Gosh, when you throw (that many) pitches in nine innings, you’re going to be successful. Every now and then you have to tip your cap. He did a great job.”
Weaver rebounded from Hill’s home run to retire 11 consecutive batters, a run that was halted by Adam Lind’s bloop single to centre in the seventh inning.
The Angels padded their lead when Kendry Morales hit his fifth homer with two outs in the sixth to give Los Angeles a 4-1 advantage.
In the seventh inning, Barajas made his second error and again it came on stolen base by Figgins. Barajas’ low throw bounced into centre field allowing Figgins to take third, and Izturis followed with a run-scoring, broken-bat single to right.
Notes: Blue Jays closer B.J. Ryan, on the DL since April 23, threw a scoreless inning at single-A Dunedin. Blue Jays starter Casey Janssen, who had shoulder surgery in March 2008, made his third start for Dunedin, giving up one run over five innings. He will make at least one more rehab start. … Two steals by Los Angeles’ Chone Figgins gave him 250 for his career. … The Angels are 7-1 when Maicer Izturis starts at shortstop.
