Jered Weaver Stymies Oakland A's as Los Angeles Takes Monday Opener, 4-0

Jered Weaver threw a complete-game shutout and Torii Hunter's two-run single in the seventh inning provided insurance as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Oakland A's, 4-0, in the first game of their big three-game series in Oakland.

Weaver was in complete control, only allowing four hits and striking out nine while going the distance for the third time and notching his second shutout. Oakland's Jarrod Parker took the loss, allowing four runs in 6.2 innings while striking out six. The loss drops the A's into third place in the AL Wild Card standings.

The Angels had an early chance to score when phenom Mike Trout was hit by a pitch and stole second. After a fly out by Hunter advanced Trout to third, Albert Pujols hit a ground ball to A's third baseman Brandon Inge. Running on contact, Trout was easily caught in a rundown and tagged out. But Los Angeles would score twice in the second inning on RBI singles by Trout and Erick Aybar to give Weaver all the help he would need.

Oakland's lineup was kept off balance as Weaver threw all four of his pitches effectively, freezing hitters and keeping them in between swings. For a few innings, though, Parker matched him, keeping the A's in the game. Unfortunately, he may have stayed one batter too long. With runners on second and third in the seventh and two outs, Hunter hit a single to center field to make the score 4-0. 

From there, Weaver cruised to the finish, winding up with 117 pitches on the game. Now 15-1 on the year with a league-leading 2.13 ERA, he is the clear AL Cy Young front-runner. Parker's third straight loss dropped him to 7-6. Now 58-51, the A's will hope to recapture the Wild Card lead as Bartolo Colon will face off with the Angels' C.J. Wilson. First pitch is again set for 7:05 p.m PT/10:05 p.m. ET.

Note: Josh Reddick notched his 13th outfield assist, throwing out Mike Trout trying to stretch a single into a double, though replays appeared to show that Trout was safe. Pat Neshek pitched for the third time in four games and is yet to allow a run. Yoenis Cespedes did not start due to his sore right wrist.