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Chatwood has tough act to follow in Angels-A's matchup

Apr 26, 2011 - 2:51 PM (Sports Network) - Another day and another excellent start by Jered Weaver that an Angels hurler has to follow.

The task falls once again to rookie Tyler Chatwood, who takes the mound this evening when Los Angeles plays the middle contest of a three-game set with the visiting Oakland Athletics.

Weaver improved to 6-0 through six starts this season and pitched the third shutout of his career in last night's 5-0 victory, yielding seven hits and striking out 10. He is the first pitcher to win six games in his team's first 23 contests since Randy Johnson did so with Arizona in 2002.

"I had good fastball command tonight," Weaver said. "It is great to have the accolades, but I just want to keep my team in the game, which I did tonight."

Howie Kendrick went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored for Los Angeles, which was swept in four games by Boston prior to this series opener. Bobby Abreu also knocked in a run.

Chatwood will make the fourth start of his career tonight and each of the previous three have followed a Weaver victory. The 21-year-old righty is coming off a no-decision versus Boston on Thursday, giving up a pair of runs on six hits and five walks over six innings.

"Chatwood was right around the zone. He pitched out of trouble," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We didn't get it done offensively."

Chatwood is 1-1 with a 3.50 earned run average and faces the Athletics for the first time in his career.

Brandon McCarthy will try to continue the solid start to his Oakland career this evening.

The right-hander spent his previous three seasons with Texas and is 1-1 with a 2.10 ERA through four starts this year. That first loss came on Thursday in Seattle, a tough-luck 1-0 defeat in which he gave up a run on four hits over an eight-inning complete game. McCarthy also struck out six while going the distance for the second time in his career.

The 27-year-old has made seven career appearances against the Angels, including three starts, and is 0-1 with a 3.82 ERA.

Los Angeles outfielder Vernon Wells is hitting just .174 through 22 games this season and is only 1-for-10 in his career against McCarthy. Torii Hunter, hitting a mere .196 for the Angels, has a hit in three of his five at-bats against the Oakland hurler with a home run.

Gio Gonzalez got the call for Oakland last night and yielded five runs -- four earned -- on eight hits over five innings. He failed to match Weaver and got no support as the Athletics had a two-game win streak stopped and were shut out for the third time in five games.

"He never really got in a great rhythm," A's manager Bob Geren said of Gonzalez. "I thought his velocity and movement on his breaking ball was normal. It just wasn't located as well."

Left fielder Josh Willingham left last night's game in the sixth inning due to tightness in his upper back and his status tonight for the A's is unknown.

The Angels have won 11 of their last 17 against the A's, taking seven of nine at home against them last year.