Dream Weaver

SAN DIEGO – LL Cool J blared from the stereo as Jeff Weaver burst through the doors of the St. Louis Cardinals' clubhouse and spied his brother, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Jered Weaver, eagerly awaiting him in the hallway.

Jeff had just pitched the best game of his rocky season, throwing two-hit, shutout ball over five innings and exploiting a punchless San Diego Padres lineup en route to a 2-0 Cardinals victory in Game 2 of this National League Division Series on Thursday.

And afterward, all he wanted was a hug.

As Jeff pushed his way through the lights and cameras, the brothers locked eyes, flashed easy grins and shared an embrace as Jered shouted his congratulations over the din.

"It was so fun watching him out there," Jered said. "He seems so much more focused. He feels so much more comfortable in the National League."

As recently as July, the brothers Weaver were teammates and partners in the Angels' starting rotation when Jeff's season derailed. Ironically, Jered's success ultimately led to Jeff being dealt to St. Louis on July 5.

Because while Jered was bidding for AL rookie of the year honors, Jeff – who has yet to shake the underachiever label applied to him throughout his up-and-down, nine-year career – was mired in a nightmare, posting a 3-10 record and 6.29 earned-run average before being mercifully moved to make room in the Angels' rotation for, of all people, his little brother.

"We don't talk about that too much," Jered said.

And why look back now? In the postseason, everything begins anew.

"Both [Cardinals pitching coach Dave] Duncan and [manager Tony] La Russa since day one have showed their support," Jeff said. "I started out a little slow when I got to St. Louis, but like I said, they always had my back."

La Russa spent his birthday on Wednesday, hoping aloud for someone other than Chris Carpenter to deliver a solid pitching performance. Birthday wishes are not supposed to come true when you reveal them, but Weaver granted La Russa his on Thursday.

San Diego's three-through-five hitters are a combined 3-for-23 (.130) through two games, and Padres center fielder Mike Cameron knows that if his team doesn't turn things around quickly, David Wells, who says he's retiring after the playoffs, will be hitting the waves at Ocean Beach a lot sooner than he thought.

"[The Cardinals' pitchers] have been in the windup for a lot of innings," Cameron said. "We gotta put some guys in the stretch, make 'em do something different."

What Cameron means is that you need runners on base to force pitchers into the stretch position, and the Padres are hitting .164 as a team. They have just 10 hits and one run so far, while striking out 20 times. They're 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and have stranded 13.

Maybe Cameron's right. Maybe it's time to try something different. You know, like getting a base hit or two.

"The thing that has to change is we have to get a big hit, put some runs on the board," Padres manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's really what it comes down to. Simple game, really."

It sounds as if Bochy is lecturing his team with lines from "Bull Durham." ("This is a simple game: You throw the ball. You hit the ball. You catch the ball.")

The throwing and catching part has been acceptable, and while outfielder Brian Giles denies that the Padres are feeling the playoff pressure at the plate, he concedes that, as the favorites in this series, the team is deserving of whatever scrutiny comes its way.

"They've got some pretty good pitching over there," Giles said, "but when you aren't productive offensively, everything's put under the microscope."

The 43-year-old Wells did his best to keep San Diego afloat. Pitching in front of his hometown crowd for perhaps the last time, he allowed seven hits and two runs over five innings (it would have been one run if not for some shoddy defense) and gave Bochy the quality start he was seeking.

The old lefty taught a graduate seminar in junk-balling, craftily mixing his pitches and moving the ball in and out and up and down and changing speeds with aplomb before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the fifth inning.

Surely, this isn't the final act the colorful Wells would have penned for himself, but if this is it, he says, he's knows exactly how he'll be remembered.

"Gamer," Wells said. "Bottom line."

Thursday was no different. But the series moves to St. Louis for Saturday's Game 3 with the Padres in a daunting 2-0 hole.

"It's a battle now," Cameron said. "But we've been in adverse situations all season long. It's all right. The sun will come up. As long as you've got a chance, that's all that matters."

Even with Chris Young (11-5, 3.46 ERA) on the mound in Game 3, the Padres have a fleeting chance at best when you consider this fact: No NL team has ever rallied from a 0-2 deficit to win a division series.

"They'll probably come out and try to shove it up our [rear ends]," Cameron said of the Cardinals.

Perhaps they already have.

Mark Pesavento is an editor for Yahoo! Sports. Send Mark a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Updated on Friday, Oct 6, 2006 2:57 am, EDT

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