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Angels’ Tyler Chatwood coming of age early

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As Dan Haren stood in front of his locker following Sunday’s win over the Chicago White Sox, the conversation quickly turned to how dominant he and Jered Weaver have been this season. But Haren was quick to force the name of another Southern California native into the conversation.

‘Hey, Tyler Chatwood’s in there too,’ he insisted.

A nervous Chatwood, a 2008 draft choice out of Redlands’ East Valley High, gutted out five innings in his big-league debut at Angel Stadium during the last homestand, but he was much improved in his second outing, going seven strong innings to beat the White Sox over the weekend for his first major-league win. And it was something of a historic victory too.

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Not only did it make Chatwood (at 21 years, 122 days) the youngest Angels pitcher to win a game since Francisco Rodriguez in April 2003, it made him the eighth-youngest Angels victor of all time. Only six other Angels starters have won a game at a younger age, and the last to do that was Mike Witt 20 years ago.

And while Chatwood is already pitching like a veteran, he’s been handling himself that way too. Asked about pitching on the same staff with West Covina’s Haren and Weaver of Simi Valley, the right-hander smiled and said, ‘It’s an honor to be in the same rotation with guys like that.’

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-- Kevin Baxter in Arlington, Texas

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