Jered Weaver failed to get his third consecutive win as the Angels fell to the Blue Jays, 4-10.
The offense got a familiar bat back in the lineup on Friday with the return of second baseman Howie Kendrick. Kendrick was placed in the seventh slot and went hitless but got an RBI off a sacfly in his first game after missing the past 46. His activation allowed for Chone Figgins to rejoin the DL. Figgins is eligble to return next week but will make a few rehab starts before then.
The Angel offense was held to just seven hits, with five coming off the bats of Torii Hunter and Casey Kotchman. Vlad was back in the lineup but went 0 for 4 with 3 K’s. The Angels tied it at 1-1 in the second when Kendrick hit the sacfly to score Hunter from third. They added one run in each the third and fourth innings when a throwing error in the third allowed Macier Izturis to score and Hunter scored again in the fourth when Kotchman singled him in. Kotchman had another RBI-single in the sixth to give the Angels four total but at that point they were already down 4-7.
Jered Weaver was tagged for his sixth loss after giving up six runs on ten hits. He was pulled in the fifth after giving up three consecutive singles to what became a four-run inning for the Jays. Dustin Oliver then came in and fanned Matt Staits before allowing an RBI single to Lyle Overbay. Oliver escaped the inning and also pitched the sixth before making way for Justin Speier. Overbay went deep off Speier in the seventh after he homered off Weaver earlier in the second. Chris Bootcheck also threw two innings and gave the Jays two more runs.
The Angels remain 2 1/2 above the A’s and send John Lackey to the mound to snap their small two-game losing skid. On May 20, Lackey got his first win of the season against the Jays after giving up just one run off a leadoff homerun in seven innings of work. Lackey stands at 3-2 lifetime against the Jays and will face Shaun Marcum. Marcum is 5-3 with a 2.64 ERA this season and 2-1 lifetime against the Angels.
