Jered Weaver has struggled lately to fine-tune his command, but he is never so wrapped up in himself that he can't find time to chat with his older brother, Jeff, his teammate with the Angels last season and now part of the Seattle Mariners' pitching staff.
Aware that Jeff was starting at Chicago on Sunday -- and sympathetic to his brother's plight during a difficult season that was winless through late June -- the 24-year-old right-hander couldn't resist taking frequent peeks at the out-of-town scoreboard. Jered was encouraged each time he spied a zero next to the White Sox's name, and when he was told that Jeff had pitched a shutout, he was positively jubilant.
And, maybe, more than a little inspired.
Despite the six-year gap between 6-foot-5 Jeff and his 6-7 "little" brother, the Northridge-born siblings are not rivals. They chat at least every other day, Jered said, if not daily. A bond that has withstood the tests of time and distance has not been weakened by their unique position as competitors in a division race in which both figure to play prominent roles.
Although they were far apart on Sunday, the duo may never have been closer. Jeff's superb five-hit performance became a standard of excellence for Jered, who responded by giving up only two runs during a season-best 7 1/3 innings of the Angels' 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
In winning for only the second time in his last eight starts -- he also had two losses and four no-decisions -- Jered Weaver maintained the Angels' 3 1/2 -game lead over the Mariners. Knowing that his brother was experiencing the same kind of elation put a wide grin on Jered's face, a perfect accompaniment to a nose turned sunburn-pink by the summer sun that scorched Angel Stadium.
"We've matched up a couple of times, but I think it was the first time the same day we both got a win out of it," said Weaver, who reluctantly yielded to Justin Speier after Alexi Casilla singled up the middle on Weaver's 93rd pitch.
"It was a good day for the Weavers today."
It was a good day for the Angels too, a triumphant final flourish to a 5-1 homestand that extended their major league-best home record to 40-17. But next up are some of the most difficult of the 22 road games left on their schedule, starting Tuesday with a three-game series at Toronto and four at Boston.
They know this much: If they are to stay ahead of Seattle, they will need the efficient, confident Jered Weaver they saw Sunday.
