Petitioning for a Jered Weaver Off Day Every Two Months

Wait? What? I can’t possibly be serious right? A ha, but indeed I am.

September 13, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher

(36) pitches in the second inning against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Weaver started the year off in typical Jered Weaver fashion. Winning some games, and taking no decisions in the others. When Weaver went down with his back injury on May 28 he was 6-1 with a 2.61 ERA. Elite pitcher territory, but not the Cy Young territory he would vault himself into after going on the stretch he went on after returning from injury.

Post injury, Weaver was unbeatable. Over his first next nine starts he went 9-0, giving up more than two runs only once while holding opponents scoreless four times during that stretch. Putting him at 15-1 with a 2.13 ERA for the season at that point. CY Young anyone?

Nine Game Stretch of Awesome

Starting August 12, almost two months after returning from the DL, he started a five game stretch where he went 2-2 and watched his ERA jump to 2.86 (NOT 2.86! Hold on, lemme finish). His ERA for that stretch alone was 4.91.

Five Game Stretch of Not so Awesome

Barring a stretch of unmatched dominance over the next two weeks, that five game stretch has all but dashed the CY Young hopes for Jered. A seven inning scoreless start with nine strikeouts is a good way to kick off that stretch though.

We need Weaver (The good Weaver) if we want to play deep into October. And if shutting him down once every couple of months for a start is necessary to keep him strong for the stretch run, then it absolutely should be done. Especially since this is not the first time he has dealt with Biceps Tendinitis. The same tendinitis that forced him to miss his first couple of starts in 2008, and is something he has said that he deals with almost every year (probably explains his career August OPS+ against of 119).

A strong Jered Weaver, is a dominant Jered Weaver. He showed that last night, and hopefully shows that into November.

Weird coincidence that I’m going to take as a sign note: Jered’s first start after coming off the DL, the Angels won 6-0. Last night, the Angels won 6-0. The fact that I am totally irrational has nothing to do with the fact that I am taking this as a sign.