Angels Botch Relief Effort

They are the Frick and Frack of the Angel bullpen, best buddies who have constituted the backbone of a relief corps that has been one of baseball’s best for several years, but Friday night, about all they could do was commiserate with each other’s misery.

Brendan Donnelly, an All-Star set-up man in 2003, couldn’t hold a three-run lead in the seventh inning, and Scot Shields, who had All-Star credentials until this last week, gave up Johnny Damon’s three-run double in the eighth, as the defending World Series-champion Boston Red Sox came back to defeat the Angels, 7-4, in front of a sellout crowd of 35,328 in Fenway Park.

Despite out-hitting the Red Sox, 13-7, Friday, the Angels lost their ninth straight game in Fenway dating to May 17, 2003, a streak that includes their American League division series-clinching Game 3 loss last October. It was only the fourth time in 27 games the Angels have lost when leading after six innings.

Shields, Donnelly and closer Francisco Rodriguez have been the primary reasons the bullpen had a 3.09 earned-run average, third best in the league, and limited opponents to a .231 average entering Friday.

But Donnelly has given up five earned runs and four hits, including two home runs, in 2 1/3 innings over three appearances this week, his ERA jumping from 2.45 to 4.07, and Shields has given up seven earned runs, six hits and five walks in four innings of four games this week, his ERA jumping from 0.93 to 2.73.

“It hasn’t happened very often, but we’re going through a stretch where both of us are struggling,” Shields said. “When that happens, it’s going to be tough for us. But I know we’ll bounce back and get back to being the pitchers you know you can count on when you have a lead in the seventh inning.”

If not, the Angels would be in big trouble. With Manager Mike Scioscia appearing to have lost confidence in right-hander Esteban Yan, and rookies Joel Peralta and Jake Woods, who have a combined 22 innings of big league experience, filling out the bullpen, the once-vaunted Angel relief corps is looking a little thin.

“We need some guys to step up,” Scioscia said. “Our depth is not as established as it was last year, but it’s still better than most in baseball.”

Not Friday night. After Kelvim Escobar (six innings, three hits, one unearned run) and Chone Figgins (two-run homer in the fifth) helped stake the Angels to a 4-1 lead entering the seventh, Donnelly gave up a leadoff double to Kevin Millar, walked Bill Mueller and gave up a run-scoring double to Mark Bellhorn.

Mueller scored on Damon’s groundout, Edgar Renteria walked, and Shields came on to face the dangerous David Ortiz, who hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-4. Shields got cleanup batter Manny Ramirez to ground out to end the inning.

Scioscia said he and pitching coach Bud Black would look at film of Donnelly to evaluate whether he’s having mechanical difficulties, overthrowing or erring in his pitch selection. Donnelly had no explanation.

“If I had an answer, I’d give it to you,” Donnelly said. “You ever know a hitter to be in a slump? I’m in a slump.”

Shields gave up a leadoff single to Trot Nixon in the eighth but struck out Jason Varitek, with Nixon stealing second, and got Millar to fly to left. Scioscia ordered an intentional walk of Mueller, but Shields then walked Bellhorn, the No. 9 hitter, on four pitches to load the bases.

Shields jumped ahead of Damon, 1-and-2, but with center fielder Steve Finley pinching in to prevent a possible bloop, Shields caught too much of the plate with a slider, and Damon sent it screaming over Finley’s head for a three-run double, giving the Red Sox a 7-4 lead.

“Any time you get a guy 1-and-2 you’re in a good spot, but you look at the years Damon is having, and you don’t have him until he’s walking back to the dugout,” Shields said. “It was a slider, down, but it wasn’t in enough. That was one of the hardest balls I’ve ever seen hit.”