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Here’s one more thing for the Dodgers to worry about: Jeff Weaver has taken the wrong kind of turn

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Like the sinking Dodgers don’t have enough going on, now they have to be concerned about Jeff Weaver.

Weaver seemed like he had taken to his role as a middle reliever in June, when he went 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA.

Except in his nine games since, he’s had a 9.22 ERA.

Those are some serious highs and lows, and there is no easy explanation.

The right-hander had a particularly tough night Monday, allowing five runs in two innings.

One minute he can’t be touched, the next he’s on the ropes.

‘He’s struggling,’ said manager Joe Torre. ‘He’s struggling. He’s either striking people out or they’re hitting home runs. It’s a weird combination.’

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Monday he gave up five hits to the Padres, one a three-run homer to Chase Headley, walked one and struck out three. In his previous outing Friday in San Francisco, he gave up two runs in two innings, one on a Aubrey Huff home run.

Weaver had given up only one home run in his previous 34 games.

How could he be so good in June, and so bad since?

‘I wished I knew,’ said pitching coach Rick Honeycutt. ``It seems like he makes two good pitches, then a couple of bad ones. Looking at the game after it’s over, it’s just a little consistency.

‘He’s still getting some strikeouts so obviously his stuff still good. It seems like right now anytime he makes a mistake, there seems to be damage.’’

Overall this season, Weaver is 5-1 with a 4.37 ERA. But the bullpen has been filled with unreliable arms this season, and the Dodgers need Weaver to return to form.

To resemble the Weaver they had in June, not July.

-- Steve Dilbeck

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