7th-Inning Stretch Is Costly

Maybe Manager Mike Scioscia got a little too stingy, thinking he could squeeze one more good inning out of starter Bartolo Colon, or maybe Colon really was as fresh and as strong going into that final inning as he and the Angels claimed he was.

Either way, the decision to let the veteran right-hander pitch the seventh inning against Pittsburgh on Thursday night backfired.

After giving up one run in six innings, Colon gave up solo home runs in the seventh to Tike Redman and Jack Wilson, and the Pirates added two insurance runs off reliever Kevin Gregg in the eighth for a 5-2, come-from-behind interleague victory over the Angels in front of 15,395 in PNC Park.

Pittsburgh right-hander Kris Benson gave up two runs -- one earned -- and five hits in eight innings, striking out eight and walking none, to improve to 5-6. Colon fell to 4-6.

“We talked about taking him out after six innings,” Scioscia said of Colon. “He still had enough stuff left, and he was throwing the ball hard to spots. Even though it was hot, we thought he had enough in the tank. It was important for him to get a little deeper in the game.”

Considering the extent of Colon’s recent struggles, it would not have been a stretch to think that the Angels would have been delighted to get six good innings out of Colon and remove him with his confidence intact and a chance to win.

Colon had given up 45 earned runs and 66 hits, including 13 home runs, in 49 innings over his last nine games, a horrid stretch that had pushed his earned-run average to a team-worst 6.24.

But Thursday night, Colon gave up only one run and five hits, including Rob Mackowiak’s fourth-inning solo homer, in six innings.

When he blanked the Pirates for the first three innings, it marked the first time in four starts, dating back to May 26 in Toronto, that Colon had thrown two or more consecutive scoreless innings.

The Angels also held a 2-1 lead after Garret Anderson had doubled and scored on Darin Erstad’s single in the fifth and then singled, took third on Redman’s two-base error in center field and scored on Jose Guillen’s single in the seventh.

Colon said he “felt just as strong going into the seventh as I did coming out.” But Redman, who began the game with a .224 average, two home runs and 17 runs batted in, led off by yanking a 92-mph fastball into the right-field seats for a home run that tied the score, 2-2.

Two outs later, Wilson, who had only five home runs this season, pulled a hanging slider into the left-field seats to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead. Redman had a two-run home run off Gregg in the seventh for his first career multi-homer game.

“I wanted other locations for those pitches,” Colon said of the three home runs. “They’re big-league hitters. When I missed, they hit them pretty hard.”

This has been a recurring theme for Colon, who is tied with St. Louis’ Matt Morris for the major league lead in home runs given up with 21. Colon is on pace to shatter his career high for home runs given up in a season, 30, set with the Chicago White Sox last season.

“Sometimes I think, ‘God, what’s going on? Why am I giving up so many home runs?’ ” Colon said. “I question why this is happening, but at the same time, I know there will be more. I just have to continue throwing the ball hard.”

Scioscia said Colon’s aggressiveness, combined with some flawed mechanics during his slump, has contributed to the opponents’ power play.

“He has struggled with his mechanics, and his command has been off,” Scioscia said. “When you challenge hitters like he does, and your command isn’t good over stretches of games, that can lead to some home runs.”

“Mike is right,” Colon said. “Sometimes when I’m not where I want to be, when I fall off in one direction or miss my stride, then I pay a big price for that.”

The Angels paid a huge price for Colon, $51 million over four years, to be their ace, the dominant, front-of-the-rotation starter they have lacked. But aside from two or three starts, Colon has not delivered.

But he at least appeared to turn a corner Thursday, showing better command, more consistent velocity and more confidence.

“There’s only so much you can control as a starting pitcher,” Scioscia said. “He’s making good pitches, doing all the things that are important. He has to carry all the good stuff as momentum into his next start. And we have to support him more.”