Baltimore @ Los Angeles preview
Angel Stadium
Last Meeting ( Aug 28, 2010 ) Baltimore 5, LA Angels 0
A quick scan of the American League's pitching statistics shows Jered Weaver's name at the top of several categories.
Weaver's name is conspicuously absent from one category, through no fault of his own.
The right-hander goes into today's start against with a record that's hardly indicative of the way he's actually pitched. A lack of run support and the fact that the Los Angeles Angels have never been able to put it together have made Weaver's numbers look average when it comes to wins and losses.
Weaver is second in the AL in strikeouts with 189, only three behind Seattle ace Felix Hernandez. He's also in the top 10 in ERA (8th), games started (2nd), innings pitched (6th), opponents batting average (4th) and home ERA (first).
Weaver has allowed 147 hits and walked only 47 in 174 innings, but perhaps the karma of not getting more support is starting to affect him. He hasn't won six Aug. 6, a span of three starts. Weaver had his worst back-to-back outings of the season in his last two starts against Boston and Minnesota, both losses. He lasted 11 innings, allowing 12 hits and 10 runs in the two games.
Manager Mike Scioscia, perhaps sensing that Weaver needs a breather, pushed him back in the rotation. He'll take the mound today with six days’ rest.
Jeremy Guthrie, another pitcher whose performance has been better than his numbers show, looks for his second win of the season against the Angels. He allowed three runs, including a home run to Howie Kendrick, in seven innings on Aug. 3 at Camden Yards.
That outing was the beginning of a three-game winning streak for Guthrie, but he's lost his last two starts, allowing 18 hits and 11 earned runs in 14 2/3 innings. Guthrie has pitched into the seventh inning seven times in his last eight starts
The Orioles won the first two games of the series and are 5-0 against the Angels this season. Baltimore took Friday night's opener 3-1 and Kevin Millwood pitched eight shutout innings in Saturday night's 5-0 win.
The performance by Millwood (3-14) accentuated the offensive struggles of the Angels. The 35-year-old right-hander picked up his first win in over two months and didn’t allow a run for the first time this season.
Baltimore is 15-9 since Buck Showalter took over as manager on Aug. 3.