Bye, Cy: Jered Weaver's Tirade Costs Himself Glory, L.A. Angels Success

Two bad pitches. One errant throw. And it's all over but the crying.

Jered Weaver's July 31 meltdown in Motown may be in the past, but its impact will live throughout history.

In a game between the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Detroit Tigers, Weaver took offense to Magglio Ordonez's reaction after he belted a home run down the left field line in Comerica Park. The ball was clearly gone, but there was some question as to whether it would end up fair or foul.

Mags took a little longer than Weaver would have liked to determine the ball's fate, and the chirping began. It continued throughout the game, in which the Angels failed to record a single hit through the first seven innings.

In the bottom of the seventh, with tensions already mounting, Weaver served up another fat pitch, this time to second baseman Carlos Guillen, who had all of one home run coming into the contest. His theatrics following the bomb are the stuff of legend by now and their specifics are not important.

What's important is Weaver's reaction.

Let's first remember, this game was billed as a match up of potential Cy Young candidates. Jered Weaver, sporting a major league-best sub-2.00 ERA, versus Justin Verlander, the league-leader in strikeouts and third in the ERA race.

Verlander had also tossed the second no-hitter of his career earlier in the season and was looking dangerously close to tossing his third, no doubt contributing to Weaver's frustration.

Both the Tigers and the Angels were also in the midst of heated divisional races, perhaps the only two divisions in baseball that are still in doubt. This would be more than just another game in July.

A win could mean taking a step forward in the Cy Young race and the division. A loss meant taking two steps back.

Weaver cracked.

He sent a ball sailing over Alex Avila's head, screamed at the Tigers' dugout, and had to be dragged off the field by his manager. The tirade cost him six games. Ostensibly.

Six games for a pitcher essentially boils down to one start. What the suspension really cost Weaver was a shot at the Cy Young award and his team a chance at competing in 2011.

Because of the suspension, appeal, and subsequent abandonment of the appeal, Weaver wound up missing a critical start against the Yankees.

And because of the failure of another starting pitcher in Joel Pineiro, the Angels were forced to let a rookie who had never pitched above Double-A make his major league debut in Yankee Stadium in the middle of a pennant race.

It didn't go well, and the Angels wound up losing just their second series since the All-Star break.

Weaver made his next scheduled start, a disastrous, embarrassing effort against the Blue Jays in Toronto that may well go down as the worst start of his career. One can only guess how much the suspension and resulting time off affected his rhythm.

The loss in Toronto also added to another series loss. Now the Angels sit a perilous four games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West. As fate would have it, the two teams face off in Anaheim this week in a four-game series.

If the Angels sweep, they are tied. One loss puts them two games back. A series split leaves them in the same position they're in now.

Anything less and we can forget about any hunts for a red October.

Weaver certainly shouldn't have to shoulder all of the responsibility. The Angels wouldn't be in this position if the offense were more ferocious than my little sister's softball squad. Or if Pineiro could pitch without Dave Duncan holding his hand. Or if Walden wasn't among the league leaders in blown saves. Or if Tony Reagins could pull off a meaningful trade when his team really needed it.

But those are the cards the Angels have been dealt, and they haven't changed this season. So while Weaver isn't the only important piece on this team, he is the most important one.

For better or worse, the Angels' success or failure this season rides on Weaver's right arm. If he falters, so does his team.

He faltered in Detroit. Verlander didn't. The Angels may fall hopelessly behind the Rangers this week. The Tigers sit 2 1/2 games ahead in the Central.

Verlander is leading his team to the playoffs and is the presumptive Cy Young winner.

Weaver is the guy who threw at another guy's head.