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AL DIVISION SERIES: RED SOX v ANGELS

October 8, 2009

Jered Weaver

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Game One

ROB DOELGER: Questions for Jered Weaver.

Q. Is there any difference in the way you pitched in the second half with the higher era than you did in the first half?
JERED WEAVER: I tried not to. It's just something that sometimes your body gets a little fatigue point and felt like midway through the season I hit a little hump, and it took me a little while to get out of it. Towards the end of the season I felt a lot stronger. So hopefully, I can take that good feeling into the postseason start tomorrow.

Q. Did you either watch the Dodger game and see what your brother did at all, or did you get up there at all?
JERED WEAVER: Yeah, Jered did a good job (laughing). Everybody else likes to mess up the names, so I thought I'd have a little fun with it.
But, yeah, definitely checked it out. We're obviously pulling for each other. It's not very often where two brothers can be in the same playoff in the same season, obviously. So it's really cool for the both of us. Like I said, we're both rooting each other on, and hopefully, it can be an L.A. - L.A. World Series, which would be really sweet, so.

Q. Have you ever stopped to think about you went to high school, you went to college, and now you're playing pro ball within an hour or so of each other, how unique that is and how fortunate you are? Is that something you've given any thought to?
JERED WEAVER: Oh, yeah, absolutely. First of all, just to come from high school where it really wasn't that good. I was more concentrated on basketball. I was luckily I was able to get a scholarship and go to Long Beach somehow. I just feel like that was a big step for me, getting into college. Finally concentrating on one sport, which was baseball.
The coaches over there did a great job with me, developing me mechanically. I matured a lot there. Finally, was able to throw kind of hard. So, you know, I give those guys a lot of credit for where I've gotten today and to get brought up in an organization that's a contender in the playoffs every year, you know, I've been very, very blessed, that's for sure.
Now to be on this stage, and to be a part of a team like we've got here over the past years that I've been here, I look at myself in the mirror every day, and I can't believe it.
Like I said, I've been very blessed for what has happened. And hopefully it will keep it rolling.

Q. Mike was talking earlier about how important the running game will be in this series for both clubs, and you have to focus so much on the hitters. But he was talking about how much how it's very much the pitcher's responsibility to keep the running game in check as much as the catcher. How will you approach the threats that may or may not end up being on the bases for you tonight?
JERED WEAVER: Yeah, well, for both teams that's a big part. Obviously we've got some guys on both teams that can run the bases. First and foremost, we want to try to keep those guys off the bases as much as possible. But for guys that you know that are going to steal bases, I'm one that's not real quick to the plate, but when you have to you kind of, you know, keep it in the back of your head to kind of get that closer or that quicker time to home.
As much as you don't want to think about it, it always plays a part in the game. And like I said, when those guys get on base, you have to kind of concentrate on your times and how you hold the ball and pick one over on occasions. So we know it's a big part of both teams, the running game. You know, we've got to try to quiet it down as much as possible.

Q. Just to circle back on Jeff for a second because he came in in such an interesting situation. Going from middle relief role to this right-handed situational guy. Do you have a sense of what he's feeling, what he's throwing? Do you sort of live through the pitches last night in a situation like that with him?
JERED WEAVER: You know, to a certain extent. Obviously, he's got some time on his hands, so he knows what he's doing out there. He's had some ups and downs in the postseason, and he's coming off a pretty good run with St. Louis in the postseason. I think he's a part of that team because of his experience.
Even though there's a pitch that you might have thrown differently on a certain occasion you know that he's got it in the back of his head he's throwing that pitch for a certain reason.
But like I said, he's well experienced. He's had some ups and downs and things like that. But he's throwing the ball really well, and he looks really good out there. So you can tell his confidence is up, so it's fun to be able to sit back and watch him go through that.

Q. Are you excited for him, or a little frightened during that?
JERED WEAVER: Excited. At the same time when I see him warming up in the bullpen I get nervous just like I'm going on out there to start. You definitely get nervous for him out there. But when you see him get out of the big situation, you can't help but pump your fists at the same time.
It's nice to see him doing well again, that's for sure.

Q. Can you talk a little about facing the Boston lineup? And is there someone in that lineup who you kind of say to yourself I can't let this guy beat me tomorrow?
JERED WEAVER: Just one guy (smiling)? Obviously, the Red Sox are a great team. And they've played great over the last years or so. Anybody in that lineup can hurt you. So there's not really one guy that I'm kind of got my sights on, but at the same time you don't get a breather one through nine. So I think that you're going to have to pay closer attention to each individual than trying to point one guy out.
So, like I said, there are certain guys you want to try to keep off the bases, and if you do that it's going to set up some things for you. And if those guys do get on base, then you have to worry about guys driving them in. So they've got a great team, and just trying to keep them off the bases is what the plan is. So hopefully it works on out.

Q. How do you assess the magnitude of the start given that it's at home, it's against the Red Sox, and when it's over you're going to have to go off and face them at Fenway Park?
JERED WEAVER: You know, you've got to go about it one game at a time. We've got a big one tonight. It's all about getting some momentum rolling into the series. Obviously, every game's big. It's lose or get yourself in a bad situation.
Hopefully, can Big John can set the tempo tonight like he knows he can, and we know he can. If he can get a W for us tonight, that takes a little bit of a load off everybody else's shoulders going into tomorrow's game. But at the same time, like I said, every game's big. Especially against these guys. If you make one bad pitch or have one mental error, it's definitely going to hurt you.
It's all about getting momentum, so hopefully Big John can get it done for us tonight, and get that rolling into tomorrow's game.

Q. You said you checked out the Dodger game last night. Did you actually go or you watched it on TV?
JERED WEAVER: I watched it on TV.

Q. Second part, as you were alluding to earlier, Jeff has had some struggles and high points in the postseason. What have you learned from him about the postseason?
JERED WEAVER: Just to try to take it like every other game. You can't really get hyped up. You can't really be mellowed out. So I think just trying to take it one pitch at a time, and not trying to let your emotions get in the way of what you're trying to accomplish. You know, just sticking with your plan and going out there and giving it your all.
Just like I said, just trying not to get too pumped up for the game. Just try to treat it just like every other 33 other starts you've had this year. Just taking it one pitch at a time and going about it that way.
ROB DOELGER: Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts

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