Grahe Saves the Day for Blyleven, 2-1 : Angels: Curtis’ two-run homer against Stewart overcomes McGwire’s 38th. Reliever sets down A’s for 14th save.

Joe Grahe has yet to develop a trademark pitch, and his fastball won’t make anyone forget Bryan Harvey, but Grahe on Friday night earned his team-leading 14th save by pitching two hitless innings and preserving a 2-1 victory for the Angels and Bert Blyleven.

Grahe passed Harvey’s save total on the day Harvey underwent arthroscopic surgery that will end his season.

On his 25th birthday, Grahe retired the top six hitters in the A’s lineup to make a winner of Blyleven (6-5), who had pitched the first six innings and wound up with his 285th victory.

“I still don’t hear anyone’s knees clatter when I come out there, but maybe it means the hitters are not geared up enough to face me,” Grahe said. “When they send out Bryan or Eck (Dennis Eckersley), hitters get geared up, but not when they send out this goofy old kid.”

Chad Curtis’ two-run home run during the seventh inning against Dave Stewart (8-7) enabled the Angels to overcome the lead Oakland had taken during the second inning on Mark McGwire’s leadoff homer. The homer was McGwire’s 38th, tops in the major leagues.

The victory improved Marcel Lachemann’s record as substitute manager to 3-1, with interim Manager John Wathan due to return today.

“(Grahe’s success) has something to do with some great pitching over these last few games,” Lachemann said. “I don’t think it had anything to do with my managing.”

In losing for only the fifth time in their last 21 games, the A’s saw their AL West lead shrink to three games over Minnesota.

Stewart gave up only a hit and a walk in the first four innings. By contrast, Blyleven had to deal with baserunners in each of the first four innings, giving up three hits and hitting one batter.

Despite a hit and a walk during the second inning, the Angels could not score. Von Hayes drew a one-out walk but was caught stealing, the sixth time he has been caught this season, compared to 11 successes. Curtis followed with a single to left, but Ron Tingley ended the inning by grounding to second.

The A’s took the lead in the bottom of the second, on McGwire’s home run to left, his third in two days against the Angels. This one barely made it over the fence and the glove of Curtis.

It was the 424th homer yielded by Blyleven, the sixth-highest total in major league history. But it was the first homer McGwire had hit against Blyleven in 16 at-bats.

Blyleven hit Rickey Henderson on the upper left hip with one out during the third inning, and Henderson stole second. That proved to be a painful experience, too, when Tingley’s throw to second bounced and hit Henderson. It appeared to strike his helmet rather than his head, but Henderson still needed several minutes to catch his breath and recover his composure.

Designated hitter Harold Baines led off the fourth inning with a single up the middle, but McGwire grounded into a double play and Jamie Quirk grounded to first.

Stewart gave up only four hits, but the Angels got to him during the seventh inning.

Gary Gaetti hit a one-out single to right and he took second when Stewart was charged with a balk before throwing his first pitch to Hayes. Curtis then hit Stewart’s 2-and-2 pitch into the left-field seats for his ninth home run of the season.

“I’m not going to be a guy who’s going to hit fourth and crush the ball out like McGwire,” Curtis said, “but I’m going to get my share.”

Blyleven was taken out of the game after Quirk’s leadoff double during the seventh. Blankenship came in to run for Quirk as Steve Frey came in to face Willie Wilson, whose sacrifice moved Blankenship to third. Mike Bordick hit a fly to shallow right, with Blankenship taking a few steps toward home, but deciding to hold up as Hayes made the catch. Right-hander Chuck Crim was brought in to face pinch-hitter Terry Steinbach, who ended the inning with a grounder to short.

“Our whole bullpen had a great night with Joe and Crim and Frey-dog,” Blyleven said. “This was a good ballgame to win. Dave Stewart was throwing the ball extremely well and when Chad hit that two-run home run, we knew that might be all we’d get.”