Angels look to continue dominance of Blue Jays

The Los Angeles Angels' lineup has been quiet when Jered Weaver takes the mound, but it may be on the verge of snapping that trend.

Weaver seeks another solid performance and some support from his surging offense while helping Los Angeles earn a fifth straight home win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night.

The Angels (50-58) entered this series coming off three-game sweeps at the hands of AL West rivals Oakland and Texas, but they haven't had much trouble with Toronto.

J.B. Shuck drove in three runs in Thursday's 8-2 victory before Kole Calhoun capped a four-hit night with a go-ahead two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth in Friday's 7-5 win.

``Not all the wins are going to come easy, especially with our backs against the wall,'' Calhoun said. ``We're going to have to beat those All-Star guys. We're going to have to compete.''

Shuck tripled home the tying run earlier in the eighth. He also robbed Jose Bautista of a home run in left field, jumping high above the fence to make the grab before tumbling into the crowd for one of baseball's best highlights of the season.

"I just tried to go get it,'' Shuck said. ``I don't know what really happened after that. I think that's the first one I've ever brought back.''

With the offense producing, Weaver (5-5, 2.84 ERA) may have a good chance to get some rare support. His 2.64 run-support average in 14 outings would rank among the worst in the majors if he qualified.

Weaver gave up one run in seven innings and left with a 3-1 lead over Texas on Monday, but the bullpen allowed two homers in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 loss to overshadow another of his stellar outings.

``It's a little frustrating. This was probably one of the best (games) I've thrown in Texas,'' Weaver said. ``No lead is safe."

Weaver had gone 20 1-3 innings without allowing a run before giving up an RBI single in the sixth, and he's 4-1 with a 1.31 ERA over his last seven starts.

The right-hander is 7-2 with a 3.70 ERA in nine starts versus the Blue Jays, but he hasn't faced them since giving up eight runs in 4 2-3 innings of an 11-2 road loss Aug. 13, 2011. Adam Lind hit a grand slam and Edwin Encarnacion added a two-run shot off Weaver in that contest.

Jose Reyes hit a two-run homer Friday for Toronto (50-59), which has lost six of its last eight road meetings with the Angels.

``We let the game get away, and if that continues to happen, we're going to go nowhere and we're going to be home in October,'' Reyes said. "It's tough to play the way we've been playing. It's not acceptable with the kind of team that we have. We're better than this.''

Esmil Rogers opposes Weaver looking to bounce back from a rough outing.

Rogers (3-5, 4.36) is 2-3 with a 4.43 ERA in 11 starts this season, and he's been inconsistent of late. After allowing two runs in seven innings of Toronto's 8-3, 10-inning loss the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 24, he gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 4 1-3 innings of Monday's 9-4 loss to Oakland.

The right-hander, winless in his last seven starts, has never started versus the Angels. He did give up three runs in 2 2-3 innings over four relief appearances last season.

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