Angels throw a lot out to get 3-2 win

It wasn’t so much a relief effort as it was a rescue mission.

Angels starter Jered Weaver was pulled after three innings because of tightness in his middle back Tuesday night, but the bullpen tag team of Darren Oliver, Jose Arredondo, Scot Shields and Francisco Rodriguez blanked the Cleveland Indians over the final six innings of a 3-2 victory in Angel Stadium.

Catcher Jeff Mathis broke a 2-2 tie with a solo home run to lead off the fifth inning, and Rodriguez recorded his major league-leading 41st save by striking out pinch-hitter Ryan Garko with a full-count changeup and the tying run at second base.

The Angels, who subdued an Indians team that had won seven of its previous eight games, improved to 12-5 in July and lead the American League West by nine games.

Their pitchers have held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in 29 of the last 36 wins.

It had already been a good night for Mathis before his tiebreaking home run; in the first inning, Mathis threw out Jamey Carroll attempting to steal second.

Not only did the strong, accurate throw help minimize damage – Carroll probably would have scored one out later on Casey Blake’s double to left – it ended a streak of 29 consecutive stolen bases by Angels opponents dating to June 18.

Mathis then opened the fifth by driving a 2-and-2 pitch from Cleveland right-hander Matt Ginter into the bullpen beyond the left-field wall for his seventh home run of the season and a 3-2 lead.

The bullpen made that small cushion hold up by combining to give up four hits and strike out six, with Oliver earning the victory to improve to 4-1.

Weaver gave up only four earned runs in 24 2/3 innings of his four starts before the All-Star break and had 12 days of rest between his last start July 9 and Tuesday night.

But the right-hander looked uncomfortable from the get-go, giving up a home run to leadoff batter Grady Sizemore in the first, the fifth time in his career Weaver gave up a homer to begin a game.

Weaver hit Kelly Shoppach with a pitch to open the second, and Franklin Gutierrez’s run-scoring triple to left-center gave Cleveland a 2-0 lead.

The Angels evened the score in the second when Howie Kendrick singled and took third on Juan Rivera’s single, Mathis hit a run-scoring fielder’s choice, stole second and scored on Reggie Willits’ single up the middle.

But a one-out walk to Ben Francisco and an awkward delivery during a walk to Casey Blake brought Manager Mike Scioscia and athletic trainer Adam Nevala to the mound.

Weaver remained in the game after taking two warmup tosses and got out of the inning when Shin-Soo Choo flied to the wall in right and Shoppach struck out. But Weaver was done, removed from the game and listed as day to day.

Oliver, the veteran left-hander who is quietly putting together a very solid season, gave up only one hit in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Arredondo gave up three singles in 1 1/3 innings but escaped a first-and-third, two-out jam in the seventh by getting Ben Francisco to ground into a fielder’s choice.

Shields struck out two of four batters in the eighth before yielding to Rodriguez, whose last appearance against Cleveland was his worst outing of the year, a one-third-inning, three-run, two-hit, two-walk effort on a pair of sprained ankles April 7.

Rodriguez coughed up a 2-1, ninth-inning lead that night but was spared the loss when Torii Hunter hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth for a 6-4 Angels victory.

He provided some more drama by walking Sizemore with two out, and Sizemore stole second. But after fouling off two full-count pitches, Garko waved at a changeup, a pitch that has become a dangerous weapon for Rodriguez, and the game was over.

 mike.digiovanna@latimes.com