Jered Weaver’s effort is wasted in Angels’ loss
Jered Weaver appears to be a lock to be selected to his first All-Star team, but there is a good chance the Angels’ right-hander will not be eligible to pitch in the July 13 showcase in Anaheim.
Weaver added to his All-Star credentials Friday night, giving up two runs and five hits, striking out 11 and walking one in the Angels’ 4-3, 11-inning loss to Colorado in Angel Stadium.
The Rockies scored the winning run with a two-out rally in the 11th, which Chris Iannetta sparked with a double to left off reliever Francisco Rodriguez.
Pinch-hitter Melvin Mora walked, and Jonathan Herrera slapped a full-count pitch into left field for a single.
Strong-armed outfielder Juan Rivera had a good shot to throw out Iannetta, who had to hesitate between second and third to avoid being hit by the ball, but Rivera’s throw was well wide of the plate.
The Angels threatened in the bottom of the 11th when Bobby Abreu led off with a single against reliever Matt Belisle. Right-hander Manny Corpas came on to retire Torii Hunter on a fly ball to left, and Abreu stole second.
Rivera walked, and Mike Napoli hit a chopper to Corpas, who threw to second to force Rivera. Napoli beat Herrera’s throw to avoid the double play and keep the inning alive, but Jeff Mathis grounded out to second to end the 4-hour, 1-minute game.
Weaver, who pitched seven innings, is 7-3 with a 3.01 earned run average and a major league-leading 118 strikeouts.
But if the right-hander remains on the every-fifth-game schedule he has been on all season, he would make three more starts before the All-Star break, the last coming on Sunday, July 11, at Oakland.
According a new rule adopted from a recommendation by the special committee that Angels Manager Mike Scioscia is on, any pitcher selected to the All-Star game who starts on the Sunday before the game will not be eligible to pitch in the game and will be replaced on the roster.
That pitcher will be recognized as an All-Star, can participate in All-Star festivities and will be introduced in uniform.
The Angels have one more off day before the break — Monday — and Scioscia could use it to skip Scott Kazmir in the rotation and move Weaver up to Wednesday against Texas.
But Scioscia said after Friday night’s game that he has no plans to alter his rotation.
“Our in-house business is very important to us, and we have to keep that focus,” Scioscia said. “These guys are going to take their normal turns, and if something weird happens like a rainout that could adjust some things, we could make a move.”
Weaver was in line to win Friday night when the Angels took a 3-2 lead in the seventh on Napoli’s leadoff single off reliever Rafael Betancourt, Mathis’ sacrifice bunt and Reggie Willits’ run-scoring single to center.
But reliever Fernando Rodney couldn’t hold it in the eighth, as Herrera led off with a single, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Carlos Gonzalez’s single to right that made it 3-3.
Weaver looked every bit the All-Star, with 81 of his 118 pitches thrown for strikes. It was the sixth time he’s had 10 or more strikeouts.
His only blemish was a down-and-in slider that Iannetta golfed over the left-field wall for a two-run home run and a 2-1 Rockies lead in the fifth.
The Angels tied it in the sixth on doubles by Kevin Frandsen and Hunter. The Angels scored their first run in the second when Rivera singled, took third on Napoli’s single and came home on Mathis’ sacrifice fly to left.
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