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 Scioscia summoned Shoemaker to replace an injured Jered Weaver,
whose lower back had tightened up. Scioscia waited. And waited. And
waited.
Finally, after a few awkward minutes, Shoemaker showed up, then shut
down the Toronto Blue Jays for 3 2/3 innings to help the Angels win
their fifth in a row, a 5-2 victory over Blue Jays.
"He took the wrong way," Scioscia said. "Shoe was in the dugout with
his spikes on, and when we said, 'Hey, we're going to Shoe,' he ran
down to the bullpen (in the stadium tunnel) instead of coming out to
the mound, so it took us a little while to track him down. ...
Eventually, he just found us."
Scioscia could joke about the miscommunication after the game,
considering Weaver's stiff back improved dramatically from the time
he came out of the game to the time he was interviewed by reporters.
He is listed as day-to-day and hopes to make his next scheduled
start.
"It's about 80 times better," Weaver said. "We did a bunch of
treatment, some soft tissue stuff, to loosen up the back part of the
hip. We'll stay on top of that and hopefully it won't linger too
long."
Weaver first felt his back tighten up when fielding designated
hitter Adam Lind's comebacker in the second inning. Weaver threw out
Lind for the second out of the inning, then retired catcher Dioner
Navarro to finish the inning.
But in between innings the back stiffened, and after one warm-up
pitch before the start of the third inning, Weaver asked out.
It might have seemed to be a break for the Blue Jays, who are
looking for any break they can get these days. The loss was their
fifth in a row.
"Weaver's different than he used to be, but he's still one of the
top guys around," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "So you feel
good when he comes out of the game. Shoemaker's been starting and he
was coming back on a day short (of rest), but he did a good job for
them."
Shoemaker (7-2) gave up two runs on five hits while making 61
pitches before coming out of the game with two outs in the sixth.
"It's just one of those things where you have to turn the switch on,
both mentally and physically," Shoemaker said about being called
upon to pitch on a moment's notice. "Get your body going, get my
mind right and get some outs. ... To be honest with you, I was
pretty frustrated with the pitches I made. I was up in the zone, the
homer to (Juan) Francisco was a bad pitch. But under the
circumstances I'm happy. We got a win out of it."
The back end of the Angels bullpen also pitched well, as Joe
Thatcher, Jason Grilli, Kevin Jepsen and Joe Smith (11th save)
combined to shut out the Blue Jays for the final 3 1/3 innings.
Offensively for the Angels, second baseman Howie Kendrick had three
hits, including an RBI single in a four-run fifth inning that gave
the Angels the lead for good. Catcher Chris Iannetta also had three
hits.
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The win was the Angels' 11th in a row at home, one short of the club
record set in 1967. They have won 17 of their last 18 at home and
improved their major league-best home record to 31-14.
The win also improved the Angels' franchise record to 4,272-4,272-3,
the first time their all-time record has been at .500 since they
were 1-1 two games into their expansion season of 1961.
Blue Jays starter J.A. Happ (7-5) didn't last much longer than
Weaver, managing just 4 1/3 innings before being knocked out of the
game. Happ, who had won his previous two starts, gave up five runs
on seven hits and three walks.
The pivotal inning was the fifth, when he gave up a leadoff double
to Iannetta, the No. 9 hitter, then walked both right fielder Kole
Calhoun and center fielder Mike Trout. It set the stage for the
Angels' game-changing four-run inning.
"We've seen him do that before," Gibbons said of Happ. "That's when
he gets into trouble, losing the strike zone. I don't think it's
anything in his approach. He just goes through that stretch where it
deserts him."
Third baseman Juan Francisco had two hits, including his 14th homer
of the season, for the Blue Jays.
NOTES: Blue Jays 1B Edwin Encarnacion was placed on the 15-day
disabled list Monday with a right quadriceps strain. He injured the
leg Saturday in Oakland while running the bases. Though selected as
an All-Star on Sunday, he will not play in the All-Star Game next
week. OF Nolan Reimold was claimed off waivers from the Orioles to
replace Encarnacion on the roster and was in the starting lineup.
... RF Kole Calhoun got his first start against a left-handed
pitcher since May 31. Calhoun, a left-handed hitter, had been
platooning with OF Collin Cowgill. Since May 29, Calhoun leads the
majors with 30 runs scored.
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reserved.]
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