TORONTO _ In an outcome that could have not been predicted, Jered Weaver pitched the Los Angeles Angels to victory, 6-3, against the talented Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday at Rogers Centre.
But it became apparent early that the 33-year-old right-hander was wielding some of his better stuff to date this season. The first man he faced was Jose Bautista, returning from a two-week disabled list for a sore knee. Weaver struck him out on four pitches, the fourth an 84-mph fastball just above the strike zone that Bautista could not reach.
He soon struck out Edwin Encarnacion to end the first inning and thus matched his strikeout total from his last two starts combined.
Weaver yielded his first run on a sacrifice fly in the second, and then his second on a smashed solo shot by Josh Donaldson in the fifth. The baseball traveled some 453 feet to straightaway center field, and it was clocked at 111 mph off Donaldson's bat. It was the 31st home run Weaver has yielded this season, second most in the majors.
But he made no more such mistakes. In the sixth, he loaded the bases with two outs, but Jose Valdez entered and pitched out of the jam.
The Angels mounted their first rally earlier in that inning. Kaleb Cowart led off with a double and Gregorio Petit walked. Kole Calhoun followed by lining a single off Happ's left foot. The left-hander was examined, but stayed in the game to face Trout with the bases loaded. There were no outs, and Trout worked the count to 2-and-2 before he took an outside changeup and flopped it into left field, for a two-run single.
Albert Pujols followed with a go-ahead single, for his 100th RBI of the season. In so doing he became the fifth major leaguer ever to reach that mark in 13 campaigns. Pujols smashed a Happ fastball to the bleachers in the first inning, only to watch it fly a foot foul from the first-base line.
Trout added another bases-loaded single in the seventh, scoring two more runs.
