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 It was a welcome inconvenience. His Los Angeles Angels teammates
were in the process of deciding the game against Tampa Bay Rays
rookie right-hander Jake Odorizzi. Weaver stretched. He played catch
in the batting cage. And then he did his part, allowing two earned
runs on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts as the Angels
outlasted the Rays, 7-5, to win their three-game series.
"You can't complain too much when they put five runs on the board in
the first," said Weaver, who improved to 12-6. "It makes the
pitcher's job a lot easier."
The right-hander responded to a season-worst outing of six runs
allowed against Baltimore on Tuesday, stifling the Rays into the
middle innings. But his bullpen and the pesky Rays injected more
drama than the first inning foretold.
"It was a battle," Weaver said. "It was a game where neither team
was going to give up. It was good we came out on top there."
Tampa Bay kept plugging, scoring three times off reliever Jason
Grilli in the seventh to scrap within two runs. But again, the Rays
left, as manager Joe Maddon put it, "meat on the bone," with center
fielder Kevin Kiermaier grounding out to end the inning on the first
pitch he saw after right-hander Joe Smith walked in a run to pull
the Rays within 7-5.
"It was a good pitch to hit," Kiermaier said. "I was looking for
something over the plate and I should've done more, but I didn't. It
was one of those things where I knew he was going to come right
there with a fastball and try to get ahead. He threw me a pitch I
could handle and I didn't take advantage of it."
Grilli was completely ineffective in replacing Weaver, allowing
three runs on two hits a walk. First baseman James Loney (3-for-4
two RBIs) had an RBI single and Longoria scored to pull the Rays
within 7-4 on a wild pitch from right-hander Kevin Jepsen. Cole
Figueroa coaxed his walk as a pinch-hitter.
Tampa Bay had 10 hits and drew seven walks but left 12 runners on
base and was 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Huston Street pitched the ninth for his 30th save in 31 chances,
sixth in six with the Angels since being acquired in a trade with
San Diego on July 19.
Weaver, unbeaten in his last nine starts, allowed two earned runs on
six hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
Designated hitter Mike Trout went 3-for-4 with a double, walk and
two RBIs and third baseman Doug Freese also knocked in a pair.
In losing its third in four, Tampa Bay (54-57) fell 8 1/2 games
behind Baltimore in the American League East and remained five
behind Toronto for the second wild-card spot. The Rays had won five
consecutive series,
The Angels have won seven of 10 and improved to 66-44.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia refused to criticize his bullpen
despite four relievers allowing three runs on four hits and three
walks.
"We got big outs all afternoon," he said. "They had guys on base all
day long. ... When push came to shove, we got big outs."
The Angels pummeled Rays rookie starter Jake Odorizzi for five runs
on five hits and two walks in a 46-pitch first inning as the first
five batters scored.
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Right fielder Kole Calhoun led off with a walk and scored on designated
hitter Mike Trout's 61st extra-base hit of the season, a double to left.
First baseman Albert Pujols walked before center fielder Josh Hamilton
produced a run-scoring single to center for a 2-0 lead. Shortstop Erick
Aybar singled to load the bases and second baseman Howie Hendrick
improved the lead to 3-0 with a single, but was thrown out rounding
first base after a throw home to briefly temper the damage.
A sacrifice flyout by third baseman David Freese upped the lead to 4-0 and
left fielder Efren Navarro produced a damaging two-out RBI double to
left-center for a 5-0 bulge.
Odorizzi (7-9) allowed five runs on eight hits and three walks in three
innings, ending a streak of nine straight starts in which he had allowed
three runs or less.
"Physically, I felt fine," Odorizzi said. "It was just one of those
innings where you make a good pitch ... foul ball, and you make a bad
pitch and it's a broken bat single to center."
Tampa Bay finally mustered a rally against Weaver in cutting the deficit
to 5-1 in the fourth, but seemed poised for better after loading the
bases with one out. After entering the inning with just one hit, the
Rays produced consecutive singles from Loney, shortstop Yunel Escobar
and second baseman Logan Forsythe as Weaver struggled to finish off
hitters. Loney beat a Hamilton throw him on a sacrifice flyout by
catcher Jose Molina, cutting the deficit to 5-1, but Weaver walking left
fielder Brandon Guyer to re-load the bases, he retired Kiermaier on a
pop-up to quash the rally.
Weaver labored again in the sixth, as Zobrist drew a lead-off walk and
Joyce singled to begin a run-scoring inning that trimmed the margin to
5-2. Longoria's first career sacrifice bunt advanced both runners before
Loney produced his 50th RBI of the season with a flyout to center.
Los Angeles countered to regain a four-run lead in the sixth, when
Navarro singled with one out off left-hander Jeff Beliveau, stole second
and scored on a two-out flare to right by Trout, who upped his RBI total
this season to 80.
The Angels increased their lead to 7-2 in the seventh on a Freese
sacrifice flyout against left-hander Cesar Ramos. Beliveau was charged
with two runs on four hits in 1 1/3 innings.
NOTES: Rays RF Wil Myers (broken right wrist) is scheduled to take
batting practice at Class A Charlotte on Monday. He will work out at
Triple-A Durham on Wednesday and might DH on Saturday. ... Los Angeles
placed LHP Joe Thatcher on the disabled list with a sprained left ankle
and recalled RHP Cam Bedrosian from Arkansas. ... Angels CF Mike Trout
entered the game tied for the major league lead in extra-base hits at 60
and led off with a double.
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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