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He Might Still be a Dream Weaver
by Steve Dilbeck, Los Angeles Daily News
May 20, 2007
ANAHEIM - People weren't left expecting much, just absolute greatness.
Jered Weaver didn't leave people anticipating he would be a very good
major-league pitcher, but a sensational one. A dramatic, special,
maybe once-in-a-generation pitcher.
He won his first seven major league starts, which was only the first
time that had happened since Fernando Valenzuela started his own mania
for the Dodgers in 1981.
He won his first nine decisions, tying this Whitey Ford guy's American
League rookie record.
He became only the third pitcher in a 100 years to go undefeated in
his first 12 starts and win at least nine games.
By the end of his rookie season last year with the Angels, he was 11-2
and fans were ready to punch his ticket for Cooperstown or heaven, or
at least king of Orange County.
"Obviously going through what happened last year, doesn't happen
too
often," Weaver said. "So people are going to expect you to do
the same
thing you did last year.
"To just go out there and have everything working and have everything
be consistent is all I'm worried about now."
Sometimes it's tough being your own second act.
This season Weaver got off to a late start because of biceps
tendinitis, missing the first two weeks of the season. After seven
starts, he has been a very good pitcher.
Very good, of course, is not the same as sensational. The same as
lights out, guaranteed victory, too-good-to-be-true young right-
hander.
Yet Weaver has been something of a victim of his early success. Even
Ford and Valenzuela didn't keep perfection going.
But that's the kind of company his rookie season has drawn, the kind
of expectations left for the former Simi Valley High School and Long
Beach State star.
"You can't pitch much better than he did last year," said Angels
manager Mike Scioscia. "When you do that once, the challenge is
consistency. And he's worked very hard on the consistency in his game,
that will lead towards to the potential of doing this for a long time.
"I think he's on the right path. He understands his stuff, he
understands the game, he understands what he needs to do on the mound.
And he works hard to execute it."
He had to work at it Saturday night at Angel Stadium, but again was
good enough to pitch the Angels to a 6-2 victory over the Dodgers.
Weaver went 62/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two
walks. He struck out six.
He pitched very well. He did not call up echoes of Sandy Koufax or
Nolan Ryan, or maybe even Valenzuela or Ford.
But for now, that's OK. For now, the Angels will view it as a work in
progress. A work making strides and improving after his late start.
Overall, he is now 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA. Really, really good numbers.
If privately, Angels fans were hoping for something more along the
lines of spectacular numbers, a little patience may yet be rewarded.
Last year he didn't lose three games all season, so some of the
faithful might be excused for wondering that was something of a fluke.
But after losing his first two starts this year, Weaver has slowly
begun to make progress. His early starts were still something of his
spring training, and there were times it understandably appeared that
way.
"His spring training obviously started a little late," Scioscia
said.
"I think his stuff was terrific as he moved forward in his rehab
starts, with his progression. But I think maybe he had a little case
of a dead arm.
"In spring training you can monitor that a little bit more, can pull
that back if he's tired. At the time maybe he had a little dead arm
because the ball wasn't coming out quite as crisp as it is now."
His stuff was fairly impressive early Saturday night. His only real
mistake came to Jeff Kent in the second inning, which the Dodgers
second baseman hammered for his sixth home run.
There was a walk and a run-scoring single to Andre Either in the
third, but after that he retired nine consecutive batters.
The timing, the arm strength, the mechanics are all something of a
work in progress, though there is clearly progress.
He is still something to behold on the mound, a gangly 6-foot-7,
throwing some nasty stuff. And still coming out of his spring training
on the job.
"I think the first three or four starts, I was feeling it a little
bit," he said. "The timing thing wasn't really there.
"I thought the last start felt great and good again tonight. Hopefully
I can keep it going and it's another step in the right direction."
It was something just for him to face the Dodgers for the first time.
He grew up a Dodger fan, spending nights in Chavez Ravine.
"To be throwing against them was kind of something special,"
he said.
"It was cool.
"Before the game it was kind of weird for me, but once you get between
the lines you don't really ever think about anything but attacking the
zone."
And be very good in the process, with greatness waiting, still very
much possible.
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