Colon Is Hit Hard in 7-0 Loss

Just when it seemed they might be getting close to whole again offensively, with Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson expected to be activated this week and Darin Erstad not far behind, the Angels’ optimism was dashed Sunday by a pair of pitching problems:

Their ace is in a hole, and their closer is on the shelf.

Bartolo Colon, who signed a four-year, $51-million contract to be the dominant, front-of-the-rotation stopper the Angels need, looked ragged again Sunday, getting rocked for seven runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings of a 7-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians in front of a sellout crowd of 43,337 in Angel Stadium.

And to top off a lousy weekend, in which the Angels lost three in a row to the lowly Indians and did not score a run in the last 14 innings, the team announced in the eighth inning that closer Troy Percival was put on the 15-day disabled list because of inflammation in his elbow.

Percival, who has a 5.09 earned-run average in 17 2/3 innings and has converted 13 of 17 save opportunities this season, underwent an MRI test Wednesday and received a cortisone shot Thursday, and he felt fine after warming up in the bullpen Friday and Saturday night.

But the veteran right-hander’s elbow swelled late Saturday night and remained swollen Sunday morning, so he was put on the DL, retroactive to Wednesday, for the fourth time in the last five years and the fifth time in his career.

“It’s frustrating because we don’t know what it is -- there has to be a reason [for the inflammation],” said Percival, who will undergo further tests today or Tuesday. “There’s a concern because we haven’t figured out what it is.”

Percival, who is four saves shy of 300, blew three of six save opportunities in May and hasn’t pitched a one-two-three inning since May 5.

He revealed Wednesday he has been pitching in pain for several weeks. His goal is to return when he’s eligible to come off the DL on June 17, “but you never know,” he said.

Manager Mike Scioscia said that set-up man Francisco Rodriguez, Percival’s heir apparent with a sparkling 1.50 ERA, will be the “lead dog” in the bullpen but that Scot Shields and Kevin Gregg also could close games. Reliever Derrick Turnbow probably will be recalled from triple-A Salt Lake to replace Percival.

“We’re going to shut him down and see what we’re dealing with,” Scioscia said of Percival. “This is the right thing to do.”

What to do about Colon? This question is far more perplexing. After giving up two-run doubles to Victor Martinez and Ronnie Belliard and a two-run homer to slap-hitting Omar Vizquel on Sunday, Colon said, “There’s nothing wrong with me physically. There’s nothing bothering me.”

But that just makes Colon’s recent performance more disturbing. The right-hander is 1-3 with an 8.16 ERA in his last eight starts and has given up 39 earned runs and 57 hits, including 10 home runs, in 43 innings.

His fastball, around 98 mph when he’s throwing well, barely touched 95 mph Sunday and usually hovered around 91 mph.

He needed 89 pitches to record 13 outs.

Colon, the former Indian ace, looks uncomfortable on the mound and seems to lack confidence in his hard four-seam fastball, and if his elbow was aching or he was experiencing lower-back spasms, as he did in May, perhaps his slump would be easier to explain.

“It didn’t look like the same guy that was here,” said Cleveland left-hander C.C. Sabathia, who gave up four singles in seven shutout innings to gain the win Sunday. “That’s not the guy I grew up watching in this organization.”

Sabathia, who idolized Colon as he rose through the Indian system and who tried to pattern himself after Colon, was asked whether he thought Colon was hurt.

“It’s hard to say because he’s still throwing 92 to 95 mph,” Sabathia said. “But when you’re used to seeing him throw 100 mph the whole game, it makes you wonder.”

Colon, who fell to 4-4 with a 6.00 ERA, had a lengthy meeting with pitching coach Bud Black after the game.

“Whether it’s something mechanical or physical, we know he’s not in the groove he can or will be in,” Scioscia said. “We’re confident that, physically, he’s where he needs to be. ... We talk to Bart every day, and his bullpen sessions have been good -- at times he shows good arm action, and the ball comes out of his hand well. He says he’s fine. But we’ll be in touch with him.”