HE MIGHT STILL BE A DREAM WEAVER.

Byline: STEVE DILBECK

ANAHEIM - People weren't left expecting much, just absolute greatness.

Jered Weaver didn't leave people anticipating he would be a very good major-league pitcher, but a sensational one. A dramatic, special, maybe once-in-a-generation pitcher.

He won his first seven major league starts, which was only the first time that had happened since Fernando Valenzuela started his own mania for the Dodgers in 1981.

He won his first nine decisions, tying this Whitey Ford guy's American League rookie record.

He became only the third pitcher in a 100 years to go undefeated in his first 12 starts and win at least nine games.

By the end of his rookie season last year with the Angels, he was 11-2 and fans were ready to punch his ticket for Cooperstown or heaven, or at least king of Orange County.

"Obviously going through what happened last year, doesn't happen too often," Weaver said. "So people are going to expect you to do the same thing you did last year.

"To just go out there and have everything working and have everything be consistent is all I'm worried about now."

Sometimes it's tough being your own second act.

This season Weaver got off to a late start because of biceps tendinitis, missing the first two weeks of the season. After seven starts, he has been a very good pitcher.

Very good, of course, is not the same as sensational. The same as lights out, guaranteed victory, too-good-to-be-true young right-hander.

Yet Weaver has been something of a victim of his early success. Even Ford and Valenzuela didn't keep perfection going.

But that's the kind of company his rookie season has drawn, the kind of expectations left for the former Simi Valley High School and Long Beach State star.

"You can't pitch much better than he did last year," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "When you do that once, the challenge is consistency. And he's worked very hard on the consistency in his game, that will lead towards to the potential of doing this for a long time.

"I think he's on the right path. He understands his stuff, he understands the game, he understands what he needs to do on the mound. And he works hard to execute it."

He had to work at it Saturday night at Angel Stadium, but again was good enough to pitch the Angels to a 6-2 victory over the Dodgers.

Weaver went 62/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out six.

He pitched very well. He did not call up echoes of Sandy Koufax or Nolan Ryan, or maybe even Valenzuela or Ford.

But for now, that's OK. For now, the Angels will view it as a work in progress. A work making strides and improving after his late start.

Overall, he is now 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA. Really, really good numbers.

If privately, Angels fans were hoping for something more along the lines of spectacular numbers, a little patience may yet be rewarded.

Last year he didn't lose three games all season, so some of the faithful might be excused for wondering that was something of a fluke.

But after losing his first two starts this year, Weaver has slowly begun to make progress. His early starts were still something of his spring training, and there were times it understandably appeared that way.

"His spring training obviously started a little late," Scioscia said. "I think his stuff was terrific as he moved forward in his rehab starts, with his progression. But I think maybe he had a little case of a dead arm.

"In spring training you can monitor that a little bit more, can pull that back if he's tired. At the time maybe he had a little dead arm because the ball wasn't coming out quite as crisp as it is now."

His stuff was fairly impressive early Saturday night. His only real mistake came to Jeff Kent in the second inning, which the Dodgers second baseman hammered for his sixth home run.

There was a walk and a run-scoring single to Andre Either in the third, but after that he retired nine consecutive batters.

The timing, the arm strength, the mechanics are all something of a work in progress, though there is clearly progress.

He is still something to behold on the mound, a gangly 6-foot-7, throwing some nasty stuff. And still coming out of his spring training on the job.

"I think the first three or four starts, I was feeling it a little bit," he said. "The timing thing wasn't really there.

"I thought the last start felt great and good again tonight. Hopefully I can keep it going and it's another step in the right direction."

It was something just for him to face the Dodgers for the first time. He grew up a Dodger fan, spending nights in Chavez Ravine.

"To be throwing against them was kind of something special," he said. "It was cool.

"Before the game it was kind of weird for me, but once you get between the lines you don't really ever think about anything but attacking the zone."

And be very good in the process, with greatness waiting, still very much possible.

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