NewsWeaver tosses shutout against Tribe
Starter spins masterpiece as fielders help keep Indians silent
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
08/19/09 11:06 PM ET
CLEVELAND -- Having delivered his second career shutout, both this season, Jered Weaver was determined to share the credit the way one of his heroes, Magic Johnson, used to distribute the basketball for the Showtime Lakers."This was a team win all the way," Weaver said on Wednesday night in the afterglow of a seven-hit, 3-0 shutout of the Indians at Progressive Field. "The defense did a good job for me, the offense was able to put up some runs, and Nap [catcher Mike Napoli] threw down the right fingers for me, made it happen."
All Weaver did was throw 116 pitches, 72 in the strike zone, and give his bullpen buddies a night off, something they really needed.
The win was the Angels' fifth in a row and eighth in the past nine games, with Weaver (13-4) matching his career high in wins (from 2007) with his fourth career complete game, all coming this season.
"There's a reason he has 13 wins," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "When he's on, he's as good as anybody.
"He was on tonight. We've seen both sides of him, but tonight was as good as we've ever seen him, really. He had a purpose with every pitch."
Angels manager Mike Scioscia calls quality starting pitching the foundation of his club, and Weaver -- the only member of an embattled rotation not to miss a turn -- has been a tower of strength.
"Jered's been having a terrific season for us," Scioscia said. "He bounced back from a tough outing in Baltimore with 116 pitches and still had something in his tank. That was a good sign."
Weaver, who yielded eight earned runs in 3 1/3 innings in Baltimore in his most recent start, was the beneficiary of stellar defense, notably from Gold Glove Award-candidate Chone Figgins at third base.
"Any time you have a great defense behind you," Weaver said, "you're going to get deeper in games."
The Angels were hitless against southpaw Jeremy Sowers (4-9) entering the fourth when Mike Napoli led off with his second walk, taking third on Kendry Morales' double off the left-field wall.
Howard Kendrick, the lone sub-.300 hitter in the lineup coming into the game at .275, smacked a changeup through the middle for a two-run single.
Erick Aybar's bunt single, Figgins' sacrifice and Bobby Abreu's groundout, scoring Kendrick, handed Weaver a 3-0 lead.
Kendrick said he saw three different pitches in his decisive at-bat, timing a changeup and driving it hard for two runs.
"I'm just trying to put something in play, probably in the middle of the field, with the infield back, to score a run," Kendrick said. "I got it through, and we got two. Then Bobby made it three with a typically professional at-bat."
Sowers doesn't throw hard, but he's clever in his ability to change speeds -- the kind of pitcher who generally gives the Angels trouble.
"Obviously," Sowers said, "I'm not pleased with the result. You want to win. But that's an extremely difficult lineup to face. With the exception of Kendrick, every guy hits over .300. I don't know how often that's happened."
Not since the 1934 Tigers had a team finished a game this deep in the season with every man in the lineup batting at least .300, as the Angels did on Tuesday night.
Kendrick, who came in batting .275, has been one of the league's hottest hitters, batting .353 with 22 RBIs in 29 games since being recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on July 4.
The Angels' offense has been getting the attention, but the defense has been sound -- errorless, in fact, for six games and 61 innings.
Kendrick, who shares second base with Maicer Izturis, joined in the fun defensively when he took a hit away from Asdrubal Cabrera in the sixth after Figgins had made yet another athletic play for an out on Jamey Carroll's grounder.
A dazzling play by Figgins, robbing Kelly Shoppach of an RBI after Jhonny Peralta's double with a back-handed stab, had saved a run for Weaver in the second inning.
"The ball Shoppach hit was by him down the line," Scioscia said. "He made a great play to save a run."
Great defense is contagious, in Kendrick's mind.
"You see guys like Figgy and Aybar making all those plays -- I think they both should be Gold Glove guys -- and you want to do it, too," Kendrick said. "And Izzy, he's so smooth. You want to be part of that."
Shin-Soo Choo's double was wasted after the leatherwork by Figgins and Kendrick in the sixth.
"Ever since I've been here," Weaver said, "we've had a great defensive team. That makes it easier. If you miss, they're going to run it down."
The Angels go for a sweep on Thursday night behind John Lackey, going for his 100th career win against young right-hander Justin Masterson.
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
