ANGELS NOTEBOOK: WEAVER HASN'T LOST HIS VELOCITY.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA 

Staff Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. -- It was a case of good news-bad news Monday when Jered Weaver begged for one more batter near the end of his throwing session.

The good news was that Weaver (Simi Valley High) felt good enough to extend himself beyond the scheduled 45-pitch session, a request that ultimately was denied.

The bad news was that Weaver likely wanted another hitter to erase the sting of Mike Collins' home run on Weaver's second-to-last pitch.

Collins' home run aside, Weaver's outing was deemed a success. Other than some loss of command on a few occasions, there were a number of positives, the biggest one being the return of the right-hander's velocity.

"There is definitely no pain, no nothing anymore so it's pretty relieving," said Weaver, who was dealing with soreness at the top of his right upper arm because of biceps tendinitis. "It's a matter of getting the feel of the (mound) slope and release point now."

In front of a handful of onlookers who found their way to one of the Angels' back fields -- as well as manager Mike Scioscia, pitching coach Mike Butcher, general manager Bill Stoneman and assorted other front-office types -- Weaver went to work.

Minor-leaguers Collins, batting right-handed, and Brad Coon, batting left-handed, alternated at-bats.

Four other minor leaguers were brought over to shag balls in the outfield.

Weaver threw all 45 pitches in succession so it was more like batting practice at full speed instead of a simulated game.

When Collins hit his home run, Weaver appeared tired and was losing control.

"When your conditioning comes around, your command comes around," Stoneman said. "His command was a little bit off. But that will come. That's his strength."

Scioscia was pleased.

"It was a great workout for him and he picked up the intensity because he's feeling better," Scioscia said. "You can see it in his delivery. His pitches, he finished strong. We'll evaluate him (today) and possibly he will be out there on Wednesday doing a more intense game workout."

That would mean something more akin to a simulated game where Weaver would throw 10to 15 pitches and then take a half-inning break like he would in games.

There still is no word on whether Weaver has time to get ready for his first start of the season April 6. He is more likely to make his season debut in the second week of April.

Criticism for Weaver: Stoneman already has been critical of Weaver's off-season schedule, believing the right-hander took too much time off.

The theory is that Weaver lost muscle strength, which allowed his chronic biceps tendinitis to flare up when he resumed throwing.

"Obviously every young pitcher is going to have to figure out a routine," Weaver said. "It might take me four or five off-seasons to know what works for me. I had some tendinitis and I wanted to rest it as much as possible to see if I could knock it out, but it ended up just tightening up. It wasn't like I meant for it to be like this."

Under the lights: After the Angels' only off day on the Cactus League schedule, they return to action today with Ervin Santana facing the San Diego Padres' Chris Young.

It will be the only night game of the spring with the contest scheduled to start at 7:05 p.m. It will be televised live on FSN West.

Three more televised games remain after today: Wednesday at home against Arizona (FSNW), Saturday at home against Colorado (FSNW) and Sunday at Mesa against the Chicago Cubs (Ch. 13).

Escobar on schedule: Kelvim Escobar was too much for the Oakland Athletics' Triple-A lineup, as he had nine strikeouts over five innings.

The right-hander allowed four hits and gave up three runs, just one of which was earned. Escobar had to pitch in the minor-league game to stay on schedule for his season debut April 3.

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Aside from giving up a home run, Jered Weaver's 45-pitch sess ion went well, but he still is likely to miss his first start.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

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BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

- Doug Padilla