Jered Weaver has turned in back-to-back ugly starts, allowing 13 runs in 11 innings while his ERA rose from 2.03 to 2.49, but manager Mike Scioscia told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times that “his arm feels good” and there are no physical issues to blame.
Weaver is on pace for a career-high 238 innings, but it’s not that far above last season’s total of 224 innings. DiGiovanna notes that Weaver ranks second in the majors in pitches thrown behind only Justin Verlander, but his 3,815-pitch pace is only about three percent above last year’s total of 3,713 pitches.
“He wasn’t as crisp and his fastball command was off, but he has enough gas in his tank to finish the season strong,” Scioscia said. “In talking with him, his arm feels good. Sometimes you’re going to be out of sorts.”
Adding to the scrutiny is that Weaver signed a five-year, $85 million contract extension on August 23. He’s scheduled to start Friday against the Yankees, so if Weaver isn’t at full strength New York’s lineup should make it pretty obvious.
