Angels aren’t concerned about Jered Weaver’s heavy workload

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Jered Weaver threw a career-high 128 pitches in his five-hit shutout of Seattle on Tuesday night, the fourth time in 15 starts this season the Angels right-hander has surpassed the 120-pitch mark and the eighth time he has thrown 115 pitches or more in a game.

Weaver has now thrown 1,735 pitches this season, the most in the major leagues. Some wonder whether the early season workload might be too demanding, that it might affect the pitcher negatively in August or September, but Manager Mike Scioscia has seen no reason to be concerned.

‘We monitor every pitcher very closely, and he’s bouncing back between starts, making his bullpens, and he has not been out of his mechanics,’ Scioscia said. ‘If he was not bouncing back, that would be a sign you’re over-extending him, and that hasn’t been the case.’

Weaver, who is 8-4 with a 2.06 earned-run average, hasn’t shown much drop in performance later in games; opponents have hit only .180 against him when he passes the 100-pitch mark. Weaver has allowed opponents to hit .155 in pitches 1-25, .222 from pitches 26-50, .165 from pitches 51-75 and .233 from pitches 76-100.

‘If you’re seeing a steady decline in stuff, if his velocity was dropping, if he wasn’t sharp, then obviously it would be taking a toll,’ Scioscia said when asked about the possible long-term effects of Weaver’s workload. ‘We’re not seeing that. If we were pushing him to the brink every start, more of those signs would show up.’ The Angels, meanwhile, will go for a three-game sweep of the Mariners when they play tonight at Safeco Field. Third baseman Maicer Izturis is out of the lineup for the second straight game because of a bruised right foot.

The Angels’ lineup: SS Erick Aybar, RF Torii Hunter, DH Bobby Abreu, LF Vernon Wells, 2B Howie Kendrick, 1B Mark Trumbo, CF Peter Bourjos, C Bobby Wilson, 3B Andrew Romine, P Ervin Santana.

The Mariners lineup: RF Ichiro Suzuki, SS Brendan Ryan, 1B Justin Smoak, DH Carlos Peguero, C Miguel Olivo, LF Mike Carp, CF Franklin Gutierrez, 3B Chone Figgins, 2B Jack Wilson, P Erik Bedard.

-- Mike DiGiovanna in Seattle