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Weaver fans 15 as Angels top Blue Jays

Apr 10, 2011 - 11:26 PM Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Jered Weaver continued his dominance of Toronto, striking out a career-high 15 in 7 2/3 innings to help the Angels top the Blue Jays, 3-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set.

"(Toronto) is a tough lineup to face," Weaver said. "I had command of my fastball early and my slider was really sharp. It was overall a good game."

Weaver (3-0) allowed only one run on four hits and four walks, and is now 7-1 in eight career starts against Toronto. Peter Bourjos hit a two-run triple in the fourth inning for the Angels, who have won four of five.

Torii Hunter had an RBI single in the first while Fernando Rodney recorded his second save of the season after working a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Jo-Jo Reyes (0-1) went seven solid innings for Toronto, allowing three runs -- one earned -- on six hits and struck out six. Yunel Escobar knocked in the Jays' only run with a single in the sixth.

"Weaver had command down and away in the zone," Toronto manager John Farrell said. "(Reyes) got us deep in the game and got better as it went on. We had opportunities in which we would like to have had a hit in every spot but in this series it didn't work that way."

Weaver's outing was a savior for an Angels bullpen which had to withstand 9 1/3 innings in a 14-inning effort in game two of this series, eventually winning on an Maicer Izturis single for a 6-5 victory.

Reyes started out his day with a tough first inning. After getting Bourjos to foul out to third, he walked Howie Kendrick and had Bobby Abreu rope a single to right to put runners on first and third. The Angels capitalized and Hunter singled to left to plate Kendrick. However, Reyes rebounded and got consecutive outs to end the shaky first frame.

Weaver, on the other hand was stellar, striking out seven of the first 10 batters he faced without allowing a hit and yielding only one walk through three innings.

Escobar opened the fourth with a seven-pitch walk and Jose Bautista grounded into a force at second. Weaver then picked off Bautista at first and got Adam Lind to look at a third strike to end the inning.

The Angles tacked on two more in the home half of the fourth as Bourjos belted a triple to center that rolled all the way to the wall, scoring Alberto Callaspo and Mark Trumbo. Callaspo singled to begin the frame and Trumbo reached on a fielding error by Toronto center fielder Rajai Davis.

The Jays finally got to Weaver in the fifth as Travis Snider hit a two-out single to second, barely beating the throw at first. Weaver caught Jayson Nix looking to record his 11th strikeout to end the fifth unscathed.

Toronto got on the board in the sixth as Jose Molina led off with a double, and after John McDonald singled to center, Escobar roped a single to left that plated Molina. Weaver then regained his composure, retiring the Jays' 3-4-5 hitters to end the frame.

Both pitchers set down the side in the seventh and Weaver was pulled with runners of first and second with two outs in the eighth. Hisanori Takahashi entered and forced Lind to ground out to end the frame.

Rodney forced Aaron Hill to fly out to center, struck out Juan Rivera looking and got Snider to ground out to end the game.

Game Notes

Weaver has allowed only two runs through 20 2/3 innings in his first three starts this season while striking out 27...The Angels finished 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven on base...The Jays stranded six and went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position...David Purcey and Scott Richmond combined for an inning in relief to close out the game for Toronto.