Weaver expects to make final turn in rotation

ANAHEIM -- The lingering forearm tightness that prompted Jered Weaver to get scratched for Friday night's start against the Mariners was "nothing I'm worried about," the Angels starter said Friday.

Weaver felt the tightness after his Sept. 9 outing in Minnesota, but he hardly felt it when he took the ball against the Astros five days later and pitched six innings of two-run ball. Over the next couple of days, though, it crept up again, so he told Angels manager Mike Scioscia about it in Oakland, and the two decided it would be best for Weaver to skip his next turn through the rotation.

Weaver is confident he will be able to take his next turn against the A's on Wednesday, which would mark his final start this season.

As for why he wouldn't just shut it down with the Angels out of the playoff race?

"I didn't want people to think that I was just packing it in because it's the end of the season," Weaver said. "We still have a job to do. If I was feeling healthy, I'd be out there. But like I said, it's something that's been kind of lingering, and I just wanted to make sure Sosh knew about it and see how he wanted to go about it. I'm excited to go out there and make that last start on Wednesday."

Weaver, temporarily replaced by rookie Matt Shoemaker, did not require an MRI exam and planned to play catch again Saturday. The 30-year-old right-hander, who missed seven weeks early in the season with a broken left elbow, is 10-8 with a 3.36 ERA in 23 starts this season.

"I wish I was pitching today," Weaver said, "but there's certain things that are more important than trying to go out and push it."