Weaver falls apart in Seattle

[mjohnson71]

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

 

Jeff Weaver: Walking disaster

By Jeff Gordon

04/23/2007 5:17 am

 

 

Jeff Weaver still has his spot in the Mariners pitching rotation, but barely.

 

Seattle manager Mike Hargrove yanked him after just three innings Sunday. Weaver threw 68 pitches and allowed seven hits and three runs in that span, actually lowering his season earned-run average from 15.75 to 13.91.

 

“He’d given up seven hits and three runs in three innings and I didn’t see it getting any better,” Hargrove explained to the Seattle Times. “And the way we’ve been going and scoring runs late, I just didn’t want to put the ballclub in the hole any more than we already were that early in the game.”

 

Will Hargrove keep him on a short leash from here on out?

 

“It’s a fair question to ask, but I don’t know if that’s really a fair question for me to answer, so I won’t answer it,” Hargrove said. “It’s really a tough decision to make, but for the good of the ballclub, sometimes you have to make decisions that you don’t necessarily like to have to make.”

 

Weaver, 0-3, turned down a two-year offer to stay in St. Louis to take a one-year, $8,325,000 contract in Seattle. Agent Scott Boras accused the Cards of disloyalty, claiming the club dragged out negotiations and cost him higher-paying opportunities elsewhere.

 

But the reality was this: The Cards pulled him off the scrap heap, helped him relocate his old form, offered to keep him in a pitcher-friendly environment and offered him second guaranteed contract year.

 

Any idiot could see Weaver would have been much better off staying with the Cardinals. Seattle has been a graveyard for pitchers, despite its spacious ballpark.

 

“Jeff was a different pitcher in the second half of the season last year for St. Louis than he was at any time we had him,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia observed. “I saw a couple of his games in the playoffs, and that’s what we had hoped he was going to be able to do for us. He had a great year, he worked hard to get there, and we’re happy for that.

 

“I wish he could have made those adjustments here, but it didn’t work out.”

 

What was Weaver think about all this? We can only guess, since he refused to speak with reporters after his latest defeat.

 

 

Even if the article is blatantly pro-Cards, any time Scott Boras gets egg on his face I feel better.

[TruffleShuffle]

no team should ever, ever, EVER had a big contract to a player who has turned his career around in St. Louis.

[BigSlick]

no team should ever, ever, EVER had a big contract to a player who has turned his career around ANYWHERE

 

Old players that suck like Jeff Weaver don't deserve 8.WHATEVER million.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

no team should ever, ever, EVER had a big contract to a player who has turned his career around in St. Louis.

 

Weaver sucked in St. Louis.

[TruffleShuffle]

no team should ever, ever, EVER had a big contract to a player who has turned his career around in St. Louis.

 

Weaver sucked in St. Louis.

 

okay fine... pitch well in the playoffs for st. louis

 

(derek lowe pitched like crap for the Red Sox in 2004 regular season, pitched very well in the playoffs, got a big contract from the dodgers, and has earned that contract over the past couple of seasons)

[Balsa]

I STILL can't believe he got that contract. How high was Seattle? I mean really, what were they smoking? It had to be some crazy stuff.

[Ding Dong Johnson]

Am I the only one who's noticed how bad Jeff Weaver has been over the past few years?

[Brian]

Am I the only one who's noticed how bad Jeff Weaver has been over the past few years?

 

Seattle missed the memo

[soccer10k]

Am I the only one who's noticed how bad Jeff Weaver has been over the past few years?

 

[sarcasm]

But he had a 2.43 ERA in 5 postseason starts last year. Doesn't that matter more than the 5.76 ERA he put up in 31 regular season starts?

[/sarcasm]

 

Stupid Seattle.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Hey...hey! Weaver is better than Verlander and Bonderman!

[baseball7897]

Hey...hey! Weaver is better than Verlander and Bonderman!

 

Now you're including Bonderman? BTW, since you mentioned Bonderman, what are the chances they send him to the Cubs for Jones? I thought I heard that they were close to a deal. :lol:

[CubmanPi]

I don't know what you people are talking about. Not only did he pitch well in the playoffs for the WS winners, but he was also a Yankee. That makes him a proven winner who knows how to succeed at the highest level. His contract was completely worth the risk. Maybe we could get him in return for miller...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

/sarcasm, just in case

[TruffleShuffle]

Bump... he had a solid start today! Only 6 ER in 5 IP to bring his ERA down under 15!!!

[Ding Dong Johnson]

How is he still getting starts? He has seriously been terrible for quite some time now.

[soccer10k]

How is he still getting starts? He has seriously been terrible for quite some time now.

 

My editor and a couple of his friends are going to Seattle for a couple games in July and he made a comment about how he hopes he doesn't get stuck watching Jeff Weaver start a game. I told him that if the Mariners are still starting Jeff Weaver in July, that their whole coaching staff and front office should be fired.

[YearofDaCubs]

Seattle's GM doesn't have a clue. They got rid of Rafael Soriano for peanuts, signed Beltre and Sexson, and gave crazy money to Weaver.

[jersey cubs fan]

Seattle's GM doesn't have a clue. They got rid of Rafael Soriano for peanuts, signed Beltre and Sexson, and gave crazy money to Weaver.

 

The funny thing is, that many people think his job depends on whether or not he can resign Ichiro. But if he resigns him, he'll actually hurt the team more. He can't win on this one. Ichiro is entering his mid-30's as a pretty hum-drum outfielder. But for marketing purposes he'll probably still command a huge contract. If he can hit .310 or higher, he will remain relatively productive, but anything under a .300 season and he starts to look like nothing special

[SouthSideRyan]

Seattle's GM doesn't have a clue. They got rid of Rafael Soriano for peanuts, signed Beltre and Sexson, and gave crazy money to Weaver.

 

The funny thing is, that many people think his job depends on whether or not he can resign Ichiro. But if he resigns him, he'll actually hurt the team more. He can't win on this one. Ichiro is entering his mid-30's as a pretty hum-drum outfielder. But for marketing purposes he'll probably still command a huge contract. If he can hit .310 or higher, he will remain relatively productive, but anything under a .300 season and he starts to look like nothing special

 

There are some people out there talking about what an amazing defender he is in CF.