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Weaver seeks strong finish to rookie season

Sep 27, 2006 - 3:28 PM Texas (79-79) at LA Angels (85-72) 10:05 pm EDT

ANAHEIM, California (Ticker) -- Jered Weaver looks to put an exclamation point at the end of what has been a tremendous rookie campaign on Wednesday.

One day after the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim officially were eliminated from playoff contention, Weaver makes his final start of the season in the finale of a three-game series against the Texas Rangers.

The 23-year-old Weaver (11-2, 2.32 ERA), who began his career with nine straight wins, has allowed three runs or fewer in 15 of 18 major league starts. His most recent outing meeting that criteria came against the Rangers on September 15, when he gave up just one hit in seven scoreless innings of an eventual 2-1 victory.

In his last start Friday, Weaver gave up four runs and five hits in 7 2/3 innings of a game the Angels lost in extra frames to Oakland. The Angels then won four straight games before Tuesday's 5-2 loss, which - coupled with a 12-3 victory by the A's - wrapped up the American League West Division title for Oakland.

Working toward just a second winning season since capturing the AL West in 1999, Texas gives the ball to Adam Eaton (7-7, 4.80). The Rangers have scored 40 runs in winning the last five games started by Eaton, who has gone 4-0 with a 4.40 ERA in that span.

Eaton has posted both his longest and shortest outings of the season against the Angels. On August 6, the righthander allowed three runs before being ejected for throwing at Juan Rivera with one out in the first inning of a 9-1 loss. Ten days later, he gave up just two runs and four hits in a season-high seven frames to defeat Anaheim, 9-3.