Colon is rocked by Astros

Maybe their arms were still tired from Monday night, but the Angels couldn’t muster up enough hits to overcome another shoddy effort by their suddenly vulnerable rotation in a 9-5 loss to the Houston Astros Tuesday night in Angel Stadium.

It wasn’t for lack of effort. The Angels followed their 19-hit barrage in Monday’s 10-9 victory with a 12-hit attack Tuesday, the 11th time in the last 14 games the Angels have reached double figures in hits, and leadoff batter Reggie Willits was a catalyst again with three singles, two stolen bases and a sacrifice fly.

But if Willits was a sparkplug, Bartolo Colon looked like a pitcher whose “check engine” light was on.

One night after sore-shouldered John Lackey was roughed up for six runs in 4 2/3 innings, Colon, who sat out most of 2006 because of a rotator-cuff tear and suffered a mild triceps strain in early May, was rocked for seven runs and 11 hits in six innings, the fifth straight shaky effort for the 2005 American League Cy Young Award winner.

“I don’t hurt, I’m fine,” Colon insisted through an interpreter. “Pitches down the middle are going to hurt you in the major leagues.... It’s frustrating because I know I’m a better pitcher than this. The reason I got hit tonight is my location is very poor.”

National League rookie-of-the-year candidate Hunter Pence broke a 5-5 tie in the sixth inning with a two-run home run to right field against Colon, and the Astros tacked on two runs in the seventh on Eric Munson’s run-scoring double and Orlando Palmeiro’s run-scoring single against Dustin Moseley.

Palmeiro, the former Angels outfielder who hadn’t appeared in Angel Stadium since the 2002 World Series, led a 17-hit attack with a career-high four hits, two of them doubles.

“His command was a little off as far as elevating his pitches, but he had good movement, good life on his ball,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of Colon. “I think his stuff has picked up. Once he matches command with that stuff, he’ll get on a roll.”

Since returning April 21 and going 5-0 with a 3.69 earned-run average in his first six starts, Colon is 1-3 with a 9.45 ERA in his last five starts, giving up 28 earned runs and 46 hits, including 11 home runs, in 26 2/3 innings.

Stamina doesn’t seem to be a problem; Colon threw 110 pitches Tuesday night. Nor does velocity; during one three-pitch sequence to Lance Berkman in the fourth inning, Colon threw fastballs that registered 95, 93 and 96 mph on the stadium speed gun.

But Colon’s command in the strike zone has been spotty -- 72 of his pitches Tuesday were strikes, but not all were Grade-A quality strikes.

“He’s fine, Bart is fine,” Scioscia said, when asked about Colon’s health. “You’re not going to be able to throw the ball with velocity if you’re not feeling good. It’s a matter of finding his release point, getting the ball down.”

The Angels staked Colon to a 3-0 lead through two innings, thanks in large part to Willits, who singled to open the first inning, stole second, took third on Orlando Cabrera’s single and scored on Vladimir Guerrero’s sacrifice fly.

Howie Kendrick, who is heating up at the plate with seven hits in 13 at-bats in his last three games, doubled to open the second inning, took third on Shea Hillenbrand’s single and scored on shortstop Mark Loretta’s error. Willits capped the rally with a sacrifice fly to left field.

The Astros pulled even in the third inning when Palmeiro and Pence singled and Carlos Lee crushed a first-pitch fastball over the wall in center field for a three-run home run, his 12th.

Guerrero’s double, Gary Matthews Jr.’s run-scoring single and Kendrick’s run-scoring double in the third inning gave the Angels a 5-3 lead, but Houston pulled even in the fourth on Craig Biggio’s run-scoring single and Lee’s sacrifice fly.

“Houston is really attacking the ball -- they’re a good offensive club,” Scioscia said. “We haven’t pitched well against them, and if you don’t get the ball in good zones, you can see what happens.”

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com