Weavers, Angels Endure Tough One

Jeff Weaver extended his run of strong starts to five Friday night, which was good enough for him to keep his spot in the Angels’ rotation for now, but that was of little consolation to the veteran right-hander.

The Angels also continued their season-long stretch of shoddy defense in a 5-4 loss to the San Diego Padres, and to compound matters for Weaver, his younger brother Jered, the Angels’ best pitcher over the last three weeks, was optioned to triple-A Salt Lake after the game to clear rotation room for Bartolo Colon.

“Obviously, it’s a little unfortunate with the way he’s been throwing,” Jeff Weaver said of Jered. “It’s kind of a strange feeling. There’s really no reason for it, other than there’s a player coming off the disabled list. Jered is kind of the odd man out.”

Jeff Weaver gave up three runs and seven hits against the Padres, striking out nine and walking none, and had left fielder Juan Rivera not lost a fourth-inning fly ball in the twilight sky, Weaver would have been charged with only one run.

Since a horrid five-game losing streak from April 28 to May 19, which left him with a 1-7 record and 7.30 earned run average, Weaver is 2-2 with a 4.02 ERA in five starts, his fastball looking more lively and his slider showing more bite.

Still, that doesn’t guarantee Weaver’s rotation spot for the rest of the summer. Keeping Jeff Weaver and demoting Jered gives the Angels insurance should Colon, who will start Sunday against San Diego, suffer a relapse of the shoulder injury that sidelined him for two months.

If Colon shows he is sound, the Angels will probably continue their efforts to trade Jeff Weaver to make room for Jered. Both Boston and San Francisco, according to sources, have expressed interest in Jeff Weaver, and the Red Sox had a scout at Angel Stadium on Friday night.

Manager Mike Scioscia also hinted that more changes could be in store.

“We have to see how things settle in our rotation, how Bart comes out of his start,” Scioscia said. “We have six guys throwing well. Jered has a very good possibility of being one of the five. A lot of things could happen.”

Jered Weaver, who went 4-0 with a 1.37 ERA in his four starts, had anticipated the move, so he wasn’t shocked or even disappointed.

“I figured it was going to happen,” he said. “I’ve got to stay positive, take it in stride, keep doing what I’m doing and work hard to get back up here.”

What did Scioscia tell the younger Weaver?

“To keep his head up,” the manager said. “Go down there and see where this leads down the road. Stay as sharp as you were. There’s not much you can tell a kid who has pitched as well as he has. He’s done a terrific job, but he’s not a finished product. He can use this time to clean some things up.”

The Angels need to clean some time up too, specifically, their defense, which increased its American League-leading error total to 54 with three more Friday night. The last one cost them the game.

Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez entered in the ninth inning of a 4-4 tie and gave up a leadoff double to Khalil Greene. Josh Barfield bunted toward third, only a few feet in front of the plate.

Catcher Mike Napoli grabbed the ball with his bare hand, but his off-balance throw to third bounced past Dallas McPherson, allowing Greene to score the winning run.

Garret Anderson, who had an RBI single in the first, had ended a 3-3 tie in the sixth when he led off with a home run. But San Diego’s Dave Roberts beat out a bunt single against reliever Hector Carrasco in the seventh, took second on a groundout and scored on Brian Giles’ single to pull the Padres even, 4-4.

Weaver pitched out of the jam after the Angels committed two errors in the third, but it was a routine fly ball that should have been caught -- and was ruled a double -- that cost the Angels two runs in the fourth.

After Adrian Gonzalez’s leadoff single and Josh Bard’s strikeout, Mark Bellhorn lifted a high fly ball to left. Rivera, who hit a two-run homer in the second, moved toward the line before extending both hands to his side, palms up, to indicate he lost track of the ball, which dropped about 20 feet behind him for a double, putting runners on second and third.

Weaver struck out Greene looking at a fastball for the second out, but Barfield ripped a two-run double to left, pulling the Padres within 3-2.

Gonzalez’s solo home run to deep right off Weaver in the sixth inning tied the score, 3-3.