Angels' Weaver suspended 6 games; Scioscia 1

[August 03, 2011]  ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- Los Angeles Angels ace Jered Weaver will appeal the six-game suspension he drew Tuesday from Major League Baseball for throwing a pitch over the head of Detroit's Alex Avila last weekend.

Weaver also was fined an undisclosed amount by MLB senior vice president Joe Garagiola Jr. for the toss, which came right after the Tigers' Carlos Guillen showboated on a home run.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia was suspended one game because Weaver threw at Avila after both teams were warned Sunday by plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt. Scioscia sat out Tuesday night's game against Minnesota.

"I obviously knew that something was going to happen," Weaver said. "It's six games, and it is what it is, but I've decided to appeal it. I wanted my voice heard a little bit on the situation and how it went down, see what they feel about it and go from there. So we'll see what happens."

Weaver will have his say during a hearing in New York during the middle of next week while the Angels are in town for a three-game set with the Yankees.

Weaver is the AL ERA leader and is a two-time All-Star -- in fact, Avila was his catcher in last month's showcase game.

The right-hander is 14-5 with a 1.88 ERA and among the league leaders with 142 strikeouts. He can continue to pitch until his appeal, and is scheduled to start Saturday against Seattle.

Weaver was ejected in the seventh inning of a testy 3-2 loss at Detroit. Last year's major league strikeout leader fired a fastball over Avila's helmet after Guillen stood at the plate, watching his home run.

"Baseball's a game of emotions, and I'm not one to let my emotions get the best of me," said Weaver, who addressed reporters in the hallway outside the clubhouse following a 20-minute meeting with Scioscia.

"I've had a pretty calm career so far, but there are just some things that kind of cross the line. I thought that was one of those things, and I didn't want to sit back and take that. So I did what I did. I can't take it back. It happened, and obviously I've got to pay the repercussions for it."

The usually laid-back Weaver, who lost the marquee matchup against fellow Cy Young contender Justin Verlander, went on a tirade right after he was ejected by Wendelstedt and carried it into the dugout, screaming at Guillen from across the field.

"I'm not one to go out there and show people up," Weaver said. "I play the game with loyalty and respect to a lot of players, and I would hope that maybe they would respect me a little bit. I just didn't like the way it happened. Maybe the emotion of the big game and going up against Verlander has something to do with it, but I just didn't think that it was right."

Avila, who caught Weaver during his one-inning stint in the All-Star game, didn't have much of a comment on the suspension when asked before Detroit's game against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night.

"Part of the game. Suspend him? OK," Avila said. "I've still got to play today."

Weaver did not hit a batter last season in a career-high 224 1-3 innings, and has plunked just one batter this season in 167 2-3 innings.

"(Avila) caught me in the All-Star game, and we gained a little respect for each other there. So I'm not here to hurt nobody. I just felt like I needed to prove a point," Weaver said. "I think if I wanted to hit him, I could have hit him. I just threw a fastball up and in and it got up and away. It probably looked a little worse than it was, but it was clearly about a foot or two over his head."

This was the first time Scioscia missed a game since was May 22, the day his son, Matthew, graduated from Notre Dame. Bench coach Rob Picciolo guided the team to a 4-1 victory over the Braves at Angel Stadium, and handled the managerial chores against Tuesday night.

"Obviously, I don't want to see Sosh have a suspension, but that's the way the game is," Weaver said. "I'll try to pay his fine and we'll go from there. Hopefully, it doesn't affect the team too much, and that we can get this over with, and I can go back to pitching."

[Associated Press]

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