Call it cliche if you want. You could even call it trite or hackneyed if you really wanted to be petty about it. But, yes, Jered Weaver might very well have saved the Angels’ season with his no-hitter last night.
I’m was almost hesitant to write that myself because it seems like such an over-reaching statement, but the more I think about it, the more I just can’t deny it the truth behind it. OK, “truth” might be over-reaching too, but I’m on a roll here.
Before last night, it seemed like almost nothing was going right for the Halos. They couldn’t hit. Their bullpen couldn’t hold a lead. Their starting pitchers’ best work was going to waste. But in one fell swoop, that all changed… except for the bullpen part. The bullpen still stinks out loud, but I digress.
To paraphrase C.J. Wilson’s Twitter feed, the Angels needed to do something so that they could embrace a “positive mental attitude.” That is easier said than done when disaster lurked at everyone turn like it did for them in April. But what Weaver’s no-hitter gave them is an undeniable moment of unbridled joy to rally around. And that isn’t just because of Weaver’s individual effort. That no-hitter came about largely because of Jered, but also because of a few terrific defensive plays, especially Torii Hunter tracking down that final out, not to mention that Weaver had plenty of breathing room for the first time all season thanks to the Angel lineup coming alive for a season-best nine runs. Everyone contributed to this one and everyone went home last night feeling good about themselves.
Even if it only lasts one day, the Angels are going to open the morning papers/websites and see nothing negative. No stories about how far behind Texas they are. No stories about their floundering lineup. No stories about their playing time choices. No stories about Albert Pujols still not having any home runs… alright, there might still be a few of those, but for the most part, the coverage will be nothing but positive.
That, my friends, is the best thing to happen to the Angels all season long… at least until Albert Pujols finally hits a home run.