Major League Baseball

Angels pull Santana, Weaver from starts

Published Sep. 27, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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The Los Angeles Angels scratched Jered Weaver and Ervin Santana from their final starts of the season Tuesday, a decision that likely means Detroit's Justin Verlander will win the AL's pitching triple crown.

Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia shelved his two durable starters a day after Texas eliminated the Angels from contention for the AL wild card. Santana was scheduled to start Tuesday night against the Rangers, and Weaver was slated to go after his 19th victory in the season finale on Wednesday.

Scioscia claimed he wasn't aware Weaver's 2.41 ERA is right behind Verlander's AL-leading 2.40. Verlander already leads the league with 24 victories and 250 strikeouts.

''(Weaver) has pitched extremely well this year, but it comes to a point where I think we'd be stretching him for really diminishing returns right now,'' Scioscia said. ''We obviously have to look out for these guys moving forward, so that they'll be ready to do this again next year.''

Weaver pitched a career-high 235 2/3 innings, going 18-8 while yielding just 63 earned runs in 33 starts. He threw four complete games and went 13-4 after June 2, even starting on short rest for the first two times in his career down the stretch while the Angels attempted to keep pace with the Rangers.

''The second half of the season, he's really put the whip on himself to try to finish strong,'' Scioscia said. ''He started to feel some of the effects of a long season. Obviously, if this week had turned out differently, he'd be pitching tomorrow. ... But right now, there's nothing positive that's going to happen with him going out there.''

Weaver, who also started the All-Star game, earned a new five-year, $85 million contract last month, cementing his role as the ace of the Angels' staff alongside Dan Haren and Santana. But Weaver lost his final start of the season, failing to beat the lowly Oakland Athletics last Friday in a key game for Los Angeles' playoff hopes.

''I've never been really about personal goals,'' Weaver said. ''That's how I've always been. I just want to improve every year, and I feel like I've done that this year. This just leaves room for improvement for next year. Obviously, there is a little something left out there (the ERA title), but it's a team game.

''The only way I maybe would have gone back out there is if I was sitting on 19 (wins), because getting to 20 would have been a cool goal to get to.''

Weaver said he didn't know whether his contract contained a bonus for winning the ERA title.

''(Verlander) has had a fantastic year,'' Weaver said. ''He's had a lot of support over there, and he's done great. So to lose it to a guy like that, I guess, I can tip my cap.''

Weaver has been the beneficiary of late-season shutdowns, too: He won the AL strikeouts title last season when Seattle held ace Felix Rodriguez out of his final start.

Santana finishes 11-12 with a 3.38 ERA and four complete games in a season that included a no-hitter against Cleveland on July 27. The Dominican right-hander hasn't won since Sept. 1, playing a role in the Angels' final-month struggles.

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