Weaver dominant again in win over Indians
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The Angels offense hasn’t given its pitchers much support lately but that hasn’t been a problem for Jered Weaver.
He doesn’t need much support.
Take what happened Tuesday in Cleveland as an example. Although the Angels managed only two runs and four hits, Weaver made that stand up, holding the Indians to a solo home run over seven innings in a 2-1 win.
But it wasn’t easy. Rookie closer Jordan Walden, who blew a save for the seventh time Monday, struggled again Tuesday, loading the bases with no outs before striking out Jason Kipnis to end the game.
Weaver scattered five hits and struck out out five to win for the eighth time in as many decisions and run his record to 14-4. But his streak of dominance goes even back further than that.
The right-hander has turned in 13 consecutive quality starts, equaling newly minted Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven for the second-longest such skein in franchise history. And over his last 12 starts, he has posted a 1.28 ERA, holding opponents to a run or less nine times.
When you’re pitching like that, who needs an offense?
Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin (11-5) actually outpitched Weaver through six innings, holding the Angels to two hits while throwing 75% of his 68 pitches for strikes. But he made one mistake in the seventh, hanging a two-strike, two-out breaking ball to Mark Trumbo and Trumbo made him pay, lining it off the top of the padded wall in right-center for a two-run double.
In the bottom of the inning the Indians cut the deficit in half on Matt LaPorta’s ninth homer of the year, which just got over the 19-foot-high wall in left field. But that proved to be Weaver’s only error of the night.
Reliever Scott Downs pitched a scoreless eighth before turning the game over to Walden, who earned his 24th save with a shaky ninth.
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-- Kevin Baxter, reporting from Cleveland