For once, offense saves the bullpen

Neither a starter who is undefeated against Detroit nor a bullpen that is considered one of the best in baseball could prevent the Angels from blowing a one-touchdown lead Tuesday.

The top three batters in the Angels order, Gary Matthews Jr., Orlando Cabrera and Vladimir Guerrero, combined for seven hits, five runs and four runs batted in during the first three innings as the Angels built a 7-0 lead.

But Escobar, who has an 8-0 record and 2.30 earned-run average against the Tigers, gave up a run in the fourth and three in the sixth, an inning in which the right-hander walked two.

After Ivan Rodriguez’s two-run single off Escobar pulled Detroit within 7-4, reliever Justin Speier struck out Brandon Inge with two on to end the sixth. The right-hander has stranded all 10 inherited runners in 11 appearances.

Curtis Granderson hit a solo homer in the seventh, making it 7-5, and Speier hit Marcus Thames with a pitch, but Scot Shields came on to get Gary Sheffield to bounce into an inning-ending double play.

Shields ran into trouble in the eighth, though, when he walked Magglio Ordonez and gave up a single to Carlos Guillen.

Shields struck out Rodriguez and got Sean Casey to fly to deep center, and Manager Mike Scioscia summoned closer Francisco Rodriguez.

But Rodriguez walked Inge, who had one hit in his previous 18 at-bats, to load the bases and then walked Placido Polanco to force in a run. The right-hander, who has 112 saves, gave up Ordonez’s two-run homer in the ninth, which gave Detroit an 8-7 lead and Rodriguez his 10th blown save since becoming the a full-time closer in 2005.

“It happens,” Matthews said after the Angels scored in the ninth and 10th innings for a 9-8 win. “How many saves has the guy blown? Not many. It was a tough day, but we got behind him, picked him up, rallied back and got the win.”

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Closer Troy Percival did not throw a pitch for the Tigers in 2006, but the team still awarded the former Angels reliever a full playoff share.

Percival, who is now retired, reciprocated by spending $120,000 to lease an 18-seat luxury suite in Comerica Park for players’ wives to use this season.

“I’ve never heard of anything like it,” Detroit closer Todd Jones said. “It’s the best gesture I’ve ever seen.”

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The Angels will decide today whether Bartolo Colon, who twisted his ankle covering first base Saturday, will start against Tampa Bay Thursday. Colon played catch and threw lightly off the mound Tuesday. If he can’t go, right-hander Dustin Moseley will start.... Third baseman Chone Figgins will bypass Class-A Rancho Cucamonga and begin his rehabilitation assignment with triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com