Bullpen’s Back in Top Form

Manager Mike Scioscia didn’t hesitate pulling starter Kelvim Escobar with one out in the sixth inning Saturday, and he marched right to the mound -- without sending pitching coach Bud Black there first -- with two out in the sixth Sunday to pull starter John Lackey.

This is the luxury Scioscia has when his bullpen is rested and pitching as effectively as it did in a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays.

He can shorten games to the point where five solid innings from a starter will usually suffice, and he has five solid late-inning options, with Kevin Gregg, Scot Shields, Brendan Donnelly, Francisco Rodriguez and Troy Percival, which allow him to mix and match relievers depending on who needs a night off.

Donnelly relieved Escobar with a runner on second Saturday and retired two batters to preserve a two-run lead, before the Angels blew the game open with a seven-run seventh.

Sunday, Shields replaced Lackey and retired Alex Rios with two on to preserve a one-run lead and added a scoreless seventh. Rodriguez threw a hitless eighth, and Percival closed the 5-2 victory with a perfect ninth. Rodriguez and Percival also pitched the final two innings of Friday night’s 5-4 win over the Blue Jays.

A bullpen stretched by the absence of Donnelly for the first 2 1/2 months and Percival for most of June is back to full strength, and after suffering two blown saves and three losses since June 29, Angel relievers appear to have regained their footing.

“You can’t ever doubt our bullpen,” Percival said. “We’re going to come back. We have too many good arms and guys who thrive on pressure. We’re going to go through some slumps, but these guys are mentally tough, and they’re going to bounce back.”

The return of Donnelly and Percival has eased the burden on Shields and Gregg, who were on pace for 100 innings.

“Sometimes you don’t realize what you have until some of the pieces aren’t there,” Scioscia said. “Where you really miss Donnelly and Percival is in the amount of work the other guys have to absorb to fill that void.... We have enough depth now that we can go to good arms every night if we need them.”

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It’s hard to say Vladimir Guerrero has cooled off when he takes a .345 average, 20 home runs, 25 doubles and 77 runs batted in into Tuesday’s All-Star game, but the Angel right fielder’s power has lagged a bit the last two weeks.

In his last 13 games, Guerrero has hit one home run -- against the Dodgers on July 3 -- but he drove in nine runs during that span. His average has dipped from .354 on June 26, but he is batting .350 with runners in scoring position.

“Like most power hitters, his home runs come in stretches,” Scioscia said. “But he doesn’t need the long ball to be productive.”

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Several teams, including San Francisco, Philadelphia, the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox, remain interested in unhappy pitcher Ramon Ortiz, but the Angels still don’t seem to be in any hurry to trade him.

“You’re talking about a guy who’s important to us and who might be more important to us as the season goes on,” Scioscia said. “It’s a commodity Bill [Stoneman, Angel general manager] doesn’t take lightly. If there’s a deal that would push us forward as an organization, we would consider it.”

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Left-hander Jarrod Washburn will start the Angels’ first game after the All-Star break, against Boston in Angel Stadium on Thursday night. He will be followed in the rotation by Escobar, Bartolo Colon, John Lackey and Aaron Sele. The Red Sox will counter with Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield and Curt Schilling in the four-game series.