Drumroll, please ... Weaver is the ace
April, 4, 2012
4/04/12
12:06
PM PT
By
Mark Saxon | ESPNLosAngeles.com
LOS ANGELES -- To the surprise of few, manager Mike Scioscia officially selected Jered Weaver to be his Opening Day starter before the Angels' final spring game against the Dodgers on Wednesday.
It's been practically a foregone conclusion since before the start of spring, but Scioscia wanted to be sure no injuries arose to alter the order. Weaver finished second in Cy Young balloting last November to Justin Verlander, who also won the MVP award.
“Weave’s a guy you want to line up as your lead horse, but you never know going through spring training what’s going to happen," Scioscia said. "Many times you have it lined up and you get to the last three days of spring training and something comes up.”
Dan Haren is the No. 2 starter, followed by Ervin Santana and C.J. Wilson. Thanks to an open date April 10 in Minnesota, the Angels won't need a fifth starter until April 15. They're debating between veteran Jerome Williams and rookie Garrett Richards.
Scioscia said he will wait until after the 12:10 p.m. game at Dodger Stadium to announce the rest of the Angels' 25-man roster, which is due by 2 p.m. The only real drama involves the final bench job, with veteran Jorge Cantu competing with versatile rookie Alexi Amarista.
It's been practically a foregone conclusion since before the start of spring, but Scioscia wanted to be sure no injuries arose to alter the order. Weaver finished second in Cy Young balloting last November to Justin Verlander, who also won the MVP award.
“Weave’s a guy you want to line up as your lead horse, but you never know going through spring training what’s going to happen," Scioscia said. "Many times you have it lined up and you get to the last three days of spring training and something comes up.”
Dan Haren is the No. 2 starter, followed by Ervin Santana and C.J. Wilson. Thanks to an open date April 10 in Minnesota, the Angels won't need a fifth starter until April 15. They're debating between veteran Jerome Williams and rookie Garrett Richards.
Scioscia said he will wait until after the 12:10 p.m. game at Dodger Stadium to announce the rest of the Angels' 25-man roster, which is due by 2 p.m. The only real drama involves the final bench job, with veteran Jorge Cantu competing with versatile rookie Alexi Amarista.
Mark Saxon
ESPNLosAngeles.comMark Saxon is a staff writer for ESPNLosAngeles.com. He spent six years at the Orange County Register, and began his career at the Oakland Tribune, where he started an 11-year journey covering Major League Baseball. He has also covered colleges, including USC football and UCLA basketball.
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