Mike Scioscia’s gamble on Fernando Salas doesn’t pay off

Angels left-hander Cesar Ramos, who has a 1.47 earned-run average in 38 games, was available to pitch Thursday night, but Manager Mike Scioscia kept right-hander Fernando Salas in the game to face the left-handed-hitting Jason Castro in the ninth inning with two on and two outs in a scoreless tie.

Castro ripped a three-run home run to right-center field to lift the Houston Astros to a 3-0 victory and raise questions about Scioscia’s bullpen management.

“Being a little short in the bullpen, we wanted to see if Fernando could get out of that and possibly start the next inning,” Scioscia said. “We had a lot of confidence in Fernando. He’s been throwing the ball well of late. He missed with one spot.”

Salas entered with a 3.89 ERA and yielded a .288 average to left-handers, which is comparable to Ramos’ .274 average against left-handers, and he had not given up a run in 6 1/3 innings of his previous eight outings.

But after getting to a 1-and-2 count with two swinging strikes on up-and-in fastballs, Salas grooved a fastball that Castro, a .216 hitter, crushed.

“It looked to me like he was trying to drive the ball that whole at-bat, the way he was diving over the plate,” catcher Chris Iannetta said of Castro. “We tried to throw a fastball up and in like we did the previous two pitches, and he left one over the middle.

“I’m not trying to take any credit away from Castro — he put a great swing on the ball — but we obviously didn’t execute the pitch where we wanted. If we do, perhaps we get a different result.

Comeback trail

Scott Kazmir’s career bottomed out in 2011 when the Angels released him in June after the left-hander gave up 27 runs in 17 big league and minor league innings.

Kazmir, who grew up in the Houston area, rebuilt his delivery at the Texas Baseball Ranch and pitched for the independent-league Sugarland (Texas) Skeeters before returning to the big leagues with Cleveland in 2013.

With his 7 2/3 shutout innings Thursday, Kazmir (6-5) leads the American League with a 2.10 ERA and has finally solved the Angels. Kazmir was rocked for 18 runs and 18 hits in 7 1/3 innings of his first three starts against the Angels since his 2013 return.

But in two starts this season, the first for Oakland on June 21, Kazmir has given up one run and nine hits in 15 innings.

“If you look at the time he was here toward the end, and you would have told me he’d be throwing the ball four years later like he is now, I would have said there’s no chance,” Scioscia said. “But he worked hard and got back, and to his credit, he’s become a terrific pitcher.”

Short hops

Jered Weaver (left-hip inflammation) gave up one unearned run and three hits in 3 2/3 innings for Class-A Inland Empire on Thursday night, striking out two, walking two and throwing 63 pitches. …The Angels recalled reliever Cory Rasmus from triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.