Weaver Lifts the Cardinals

Things didn’t immediately click for Jeff Weaver when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals five days after the Angels had designated him for assignment. The Cardinals lost six of his first 10 starts as the lanky right-hander tried to tinker with his mechanics and overcompensate for the mistakes he had made in Anaheim.

But three months to the day after they acquired him, the Cardinals found an improbable playoff star in the 30-year-old retread. Weaver pitched five scoreless innings and combined with four relievers on a four-hitter Thursday afternoon at Petco Park as St. Louis defeated San Diego, 2-0, in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

The Cardinals lead the best-of-five series, two games to none, and could advance to a third consecutive league championship series with a victory in Game 3 on Saturday in St. Louis.

“I guess I can thank them,” Weaver said of the Angels, with whom he went 3-10 with a 6.29 earned-run average. “They’re at home and we’re continuing to play. I knew if I stuck with what got me through seven, eight years in the big leagues, things would turn around.”

Playing in front of a subdued crowd that included Jered Weaver, the rookie pitching sensation who took his older brother’s spot in the Angels rotation, Jeff Weaver gave up two hits, walked three and pitched out of jams in the first and fifth innings. He struck out three and made effective use of his breaking balls against a lineup stacked with eight left-handed batters.

“Everyone felt good about Jeff going up there,” said San Diego starter David Wells, whose first postseason start in his hometown ended in defeat. “A lot of guys were licking their chops. Obviously, you know, he stopped that real quick.”

Weaver appeared unsteady only during a 24-pitch first inning in which he issued a pair of walks but escaped the ensuing two-on, two-out mess by retiring Josh Bard on a groundout.

“It was fun watching him,” Jered Weaver said. “He looks a lot more focused. He feels a lot more comfortable in the National League.”

Albert Pujols provided the Cardinals with the only run they would need in the fourth inning when he drilled a run-scoring single to left field off Wells. The Padres appeared to have Pujols caught in a rundown after left fielder Dave Roberts’ throw home was cut off but allowed him to reach second base when no one covered the bag.

Two outs later, Jim Edmonds’ infield single to second baseman Todd Walker drove in Pujols from third and gave St. Louis a two-run cushion.

The Cardinals held the Padres to one run in two games, extending their run of postseason misery. San Diego has lost nine consecutive playoff games and has not led since the eighth inning of Game 3 of the 1998 World Series, a span of 56 innings.

“One run in two games isn’t going to cut it,” said Wells, who gave up two runs in five innings of what may have been the final game of his career.

Weaver retired the Padres in order in the third and fourth innings and survived a two-on, two-out scrape in the fifth by getting Roberts to flail at a 74-mph curveball for strike three. Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa then turned to a bullpen relay team of Randy Flores, Josh Kinney, Tyler Johnson and Adam Wainwright, who combined for four uneventful innings.

“Right now everything is going our way,” said Cardinals second baseman Ronnie Belliard.

“Our pitching is going good and our bullpen is unbelievable.”

Perhaps most astonishing is the resurgence of Weaver, who won three starts in September and now his playoff opener.

All this from a pitcher who had been 0-2 with a 9.72 ERA in three previous postseasons with the New York Yankees and Dodgers.

“I’m just thankful for the opportunity,” Weaver said. “Things could have spun off into a bad season. I’m just happy it’s clicking when it counts.”