No saving this Angels season

st. petersburg, fla. — 

To the growing list of off-season concerns for the Angels you can now add closer.

When the team traded Brian Fuentes to Minnesota last month, they handed the job to Fernando Rodney. But in the last three weeks Rodney has made a habit of giving things up — especially leads. And that’s likely to make the Angels think long and hard about trusting him with the ninth inning next season.

On Saturday Rodney gave up three consecutive two-out singles in the ninth inning, blowing a one-run lead in a game the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to win in the 10th inning on a two-out, bases-loaded throwing error by shortstop Brandon Wood.

After the debacle, Manager Mike Scioscia said all the right things. Whether he really believed them, however, is another story.

“I have a lot of confidence in Fernando,” he said. “One got away tonight, unfortunately. But we’re comfortable with the guys out there to hold leads. It’s not going to happen all the time.”

In Rodney’s case, it’s barely happening half the time. The blown save Saturday was his sixth in 18 tries this season and his third in his last six chances, ballooning his September earned-run average to 6.48.

Afterward Rodney was deep in conversation with pitching coach Mike Butcher, searching, perhaps, for a cure for Rodney’s annual September swoon. For his career, Rodney has a 5.10 ERA and 12 blown saves in 34 tries. That’s double the number of blown saves he has in any other month.

“He’s still throwing the ball well,” Scioscia said. “The life on his pitches is every bit [as good as] we’ve seen at any time during the season. So right now I don’t see anything that would indicate that he’s tired.”

Juan Rivera’ first home run in nearly two months, a three-run shot in the seventh off David Price, accounted for all the Angels’ offense.

Aybar, Shields done?

It’s unlikely that shortstop Erick Aybar or reliever Scot Shields will play again this season. Both players underwent MRIs on Friday, with Aybar’s exam revealing what doctors are calling “a suspected sports hernia” while Shields has a sore, inflamed elbow.

Aybar will visit Dr. John Preskitt in Dallas this week for further evaluation. Preskitt performed surgery on Torii Hunter to repair a similar injury last November.

Aybar, who finished ninth in the American League batting race last season, slumped to .254 this summer and committed a career-high 20 errors.

Shields, meanwhile, has not pitched since Sept. 7, when he left a game in the middle of an at-bat because of elbow tightness. His MRI did not show a tear.

The pitcher, 0-3 with a 5.28 ERA in 43 games, will be examined by Dr. Lewis Yocum this week.

Pineiro sharp

Right-hander Joel Pineiro, making his first start since going to the disabled list with a strained rib cage July 28, turned in six strong innings Saturday, giving up two runs on Reid Brignac’s fifth-inning home run.

“It was just nice to get back out there feeling no pain, no nothing. Just being myself,” said Pineiro, who lost his 11th win of the season to Rodney’s ninth-inning meltdown. “Now I can go home in the off-season and just know that I’m OK.”

Homecoming

Scott Kazmir, the Rays’ career leader in wins, strikeouts and ERA when he was dealt to the Angels last season, returns to the Tropicana Field mound Sunday for the first time since the trade and he’s not sure what kind of reception he’ll get.

“Expect the worst and hope for the best, I guess,” said Kazmir who nearly walked into the home clubhouse when he got to the ballpark Friday.

Tampa outfielder B.J. Upton, among Kazmir’s best friends when he played for the Rays, says the left-hander deserves a warm welcome.

“A lot of people didn’t want him to go,’ Upton said. “I know he owns a couple of records over here. So I don’t see why he wouldn’t get a warm welcome back.”

kevin.baxter@latimes.com