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Weaver not angry about removal

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Times Staff Writer

As Mike Scioscia strode to the mound to remove Jered Weaver with one out in the sixth inning Saturday at Dodger Stadium, the Angels right-hander stood motionless, glaring at his manager with a look that seemed equal parts bewilderment and defiance.

Was Weaver steamed about being pulled? Was the 24-year-old going to show up his manager by creating a scene on national television?

Nah. The kid was just playing.

“It was more of a joke because he told me he wanted me to get two outs in the inning, and he pulled me after one,” Weaver said. “I said, ‘I thought you wanted me to get two outs,’ and he said, ‘You’re good.’ I wasn’t mad or anything.”

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Weaver probably wouldn’t admit it, but he looked gassed. He needed 95 pitches to get to that point and got out of a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the second inning and a two-on, one-out jam in the fourth.

He also jammed his right shoulder a bit in the third when he slid hard into second base on Chone Figgins’ fielder’s choice grounder. Weaver had reached on his first big league hit, a single to right field.

“I was trying to break up a double play -- it was fun,” Weaver said. “But I know now to pull off or to not go in too hard to second.”

Weaver gave the ball from his hit to his mother. The bat -- “a Jered Weaver model, No. 243, maple, 33 1/2 ,” Weaver said -- went to his father.

“Gotta spread it out,” Weaver said.

Weaver gave up four hits, struck out three and walked four to improve to 6-3. His best pitch was a full-count changeup that caught Luis Gonzalez looking for strike three with two on to end the fifth.

“He might have been looking fastball,” Weaver said. “Luckily, I was able to locate the pitch and catch him off guard.”

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It’s not an official statistic, but setup man Scot Shields leads the American League with 18 “holds,” his most recent coming with two scoreless innings Saturday.

“I know it’s out there, and it’s important, because that’s the role I’m in,” said the right-hander, who has a 2.19 earned-run average in 32 games. “But the one at the end, the save, that’s the most important, because it tells you we won the game.”

Francisco Rodriguez took care of that Saturday, striking out Tony Abreu, Andre Ethier and pinch-hitter Olmedo Saenz in the ninth for his 22nd save.

“It doesn’t get any better than what Frankie did in that last inning,” Shields said.

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Shields teamed with second baseman Erick Aybar for a superb play to end the seventh inning, Aybar ranging to his right for Juan Pierre’s grounder and throwing to Shields at the first-base bag to beat the speedy Pierre. Shields dragged his right foot across the bag as he made the catch, his momentum carrying him to the ground. “I’m just glad Pierre didn’t run over me right there,” Shields said.... Figgins’ career-high 14-game hitting streak ended Saturday.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

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