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Join Date: Jul 2006
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It is unattainable for most, however, and Jered Weaver found out that one's role is merely part of a grander scheme.
No matter what the rookie right-hander has done this season, his numbers have hinged on the performances of others, and Saturday afternoon was no exception.
So despite Curtis Pride handing him a lead and making an 8-0 start to his career more than just a viable option, the bullpen handed back first three and ultimately four runs, and the Angels dropped a 7-6 decision to the Red Sox in 11 innings.
And none other than David Ortiz was the man to swing the decisive stick, as he's done in each of the last three years.
In 2004, Ortiz ended the Angels' playoff run with a 10th-inning walk-off homer off Jarrod Washburn. Last season he drilled a game-winning home run off Scot Shields in the ninth inning in this ballpark.
On Saturday, Ortiz was the alpha and omega of Boston's comeback while tormenting a pair Angels relievers for good measure. He hit a solo homer off Shields to start the game-tying rally in the eighth, and capped the game with an RBI single off J.C. Romero in the 11th.
Ortiz also had RBI singles in the first and fifth innings, for a total of four RBIs on the day.
The loss dropped the Angels a half-game behind the A's in the American League West after Oakland rallied to beat the Blue Jays later in the afternoon.
"There are a couple of things that really tick me off right now," Shields said. "One is to lose the game, but the other is to blow it for Weav. That is really hurting right now."
Weaver was trying to match Fernando Valenzuela, who started 8-0 as a rookie for the Dodgers in 1981. Weaver allowed three runs on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings and left with a 5-3 lead, but he drew a no-decision.
"I'm not looking to set any records," said Weaver, adding that he felt a little tightness in his arm in his last inning. "I'm just trying to go out and win games."
The rally also spoiled Pride's tie-breaking, two-out, two-run homer in the seventh. Pride had entered the game in the fifth for Vladimir Guerrero, who left because of fatigue. Another side note was Chone Figgins' 11 putouts in center, the highest since Ken Griffey Jr. had 12 with Seattle on June 12, 1996.
The Angels actually blew two leads in the game. The first came in the fifth, when Weaver had a two-run advantage but allowed two runs and three hits. Ortiz knocked in the first, and Manny Ramirez sent Figgins running to the deepest part of the park to track down a sac fly.
Weaver retired the next six batters before giving way to Shields with two out in the seventh. The rookie was clearly displeased when he was asked for the ball, but said afterward that he was bothered more by his fifth inning than being taken out.
"I wished that I could have had that inning back," he said. "But we were still in the game, and we had gotten the runs back on Curtis' homer."
Shields worked hard for the out to end the seventh, as Mark Loretta faced a total of nine pitches and fouled off three before lifting a fly ball to right.
The Angels added what seemed to be an insurance run when Jose Molina singled to score Juan Rivera for a 6-3 lead, but that just set the stage for Boston's comeback.
Ortiz led off the eighth by hitting a 1-0 pitch from Shields to straightaway center for his 35th home run of the season, and Ramirez and Trot Nixon followed with back-to-back base hits. Shields then uncorked a wild pitch, allowing both runners to move up a base.
Shields struck out Jason Varitek, but manager Mike Scioscia had seen enough and brought in closer Francisco Rodriguez, who last appeared on July 23 in Kansas City. Mike Lowell then hit a bloop, two-run double down the right-field line to tie the game at 6.
"I left a pitch out over the plate to Ortiz, and he hit it a long way," Shields said. "But that shouldn't have mattered; I still had some runs to work with. The wild pitch really came back to hurt us. There is really nothing more to say."
The Angels went down in order in both the ninth and 10th innings against Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. Mike Napoli, who entered the game in the 10th for Molina, was hit by a pitch from Julian Tavarez to lead off the 11th.
After Figgins moved Napoli to second with a sacrifice bunt, Napoli tried to score on a single to left by Maicer Izturis, but Ramirez made a strong throw and Varitek applied the tag.
"I knew it was going to be a close play," Napoli said. "He showed me a little bit of the plate, and I wanted to slide, but it was a close play. I got a good enough jump, and I wanted to go."
Hector Carrasco started his second inning of work when he went out in the bottom of the 11th, and allowed a pair of one-out singles to Alex Gonzalez and Kevin Youkilis. Carrasco struck out Loretta and gave way to Romero to face the left-handed-hitting Ortiz.
The Angels played the shift with Izturis shaded more toward short, Orlando Cabrera on the right side and Adam Kennedy in shallow right, but Ortiz poked the game-winning single into left.
"I'm not going to second-guess the shift," Scioscia said. "Alfredo [Griffin] has those guys where the percentages are."
More surprising for Scioscia was the fact that his bullpen allowed four runs, with Carrasco (2-3) taking the loss and Rodriguez blowing his third save this season.
"You like to feel that every time you take the field, you should win," Scioscia said. "We feel that most times we line up the game like this, we will win most ballgames."
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la_faker_81
GO ANGELS   
Well he's kind of had it in me ever since i accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace "accidentally" with "repeatedly" and replace "dog" with "son".
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