Angels feel a lot of relief

OAKLAND -- One major rotation question was answered definitively by Kelvim Escobar Saturday, and another intriguing bullpen question was raised by Bartolo Colon: Can the 2005 American League Cy Young Award winner pitch in relief?

While Escobar put the finishing touches on a superb six-inning, one-run, five-hit effort in a 3-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics, easing concern about an inflamed shoulder that sidelined him for almost two weeks, Colon was warming up in the McAfee Coliseum bullpen.

Colon, limited by shoulder, elbow and lower-back injuries to 28 starts over the past two seasons, came on to pitch the seventh, his third career relief appearance and first since Sept. 27, 1997, when he was with Cleveland.

With eight pitches, seven of them strikes, two strikeouts and a fly to right field, Colon may have thrust himself right onto the Angels’ playoff roster and into Manager Mike Scioscia’s pitching plans for the division series against the Boston Red Sox.

“When you have a talent like Bartolo, you want him on your staff in some capacity,” Scioscia said. “When you get to the playoffs, everything is open. You don’t lock yourself in one way or another. There are a lot of things you want to consider. We want to look at some things for depth.”

Scioscia denied the Colon experiment was prompted by the bullpen’s recent struggles, but when Scot Shields gave up a run on two hits, a walk and a wild pitch in the eighth inning Saturday, it seemed to reinforce the need for Colon’s relief effort.

That doesn’t bode well for Chris Bootcheck and Dustin Moseley, who have spent all season with the Angels and are in danger of losing their playoff roster spots -- the Angels will go with a 10-man pitching staff in the first round -- to Colon and Ervin Santana.

But if Colon can pitch out of the bullpen, the Angels think he might have the kind of impact Escobar did in 2005, when Escobar returned from an elbow injury in September and moved into the setup role, providing a huge bullpen boost for a team that reached the AL championship series.

“There are some things we need to find out from Bart, and some things he needs to find out,” Scioscia said. “His ability to get loose in the bullpen, how his stuff feels. If today was any indication, what he brought into the game was terrific.

“You hope he can do it, but it’s not so much what we think, it’s what’s pragmatic. Can he do it? If he thinks he can, there’s some more prep work he’ll have to do. I think he’ll be honest with us.”

Escobar, who closed the regular season with an 18-7 record and 3.40 earned-run average, endorsed the move.

“He has a lot of experience, and you can never have enough good pitching,” Escobar said. “To see him accepting the role, to try to help the team in any way, makes everybody feel good.”

So did Escobar’s performance Saturday. The right-hander, making his first start since Sept. 17, showed excellent velocity, hitting 96 mph consistently and 97 on occasion, and his split-fingered fastball and breaking pitches looked sharp.

Escobar had given up 20 earned runs and 29 hits in 17 2/3 innings of his previous four starts for a 10.19 ERA, but he was dominant Saturday, throwing 92 pitches, 57 for strikes. He struck out four and walked two, just the kind of performance he needed to solidify his spot in the playoff rotation.

John Lackey will oppose Red Sox ace Josh Beckett in Game 1 Wednesday in Fenway Park, and Escobar will start Game 2 Friday against Curt Schilling.

“I felt strong, I felt good, and I had good stuff,” Escobar said. “The time off helped because I was able to rest and get the inflammation out of my shoulder.”

Escobar’s only blemish was when the A’s bunched singles by Shannon Stewart, Daric Barton and Nick Swisher for a run in the third. Only two other A’s runners reached second base against Escobar.

“He caught a second wind,” Scioscia said. “Hopefully he can carry that into the playoffs.”

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

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October quest

The American League matchups for the best-of-five division series are set. A look at the National League and what is still to be decided:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

ANGELS VS. BOSTON

Red Sox have home-field edge with Game 1 Wednesday at Fenway Park.

NEW YORK VS. CLEVELAND

Central Division champion Indians have home-field advantage.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

West: Diamondbacks have won the division and will have home-field advantage. Padres can clinch wild card with a win over Brewers today. Rockies still have a wild-card shot.

Central: The Chicago Cubs clinched their first division title since 2003.

East: The Phillies and Mets are tied with one game to play. If they remain tied, there will be a playoff in Philadelphia on Monday.

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Los Angeles Times