Jordan Walden and Scott Downs are Angels’ bullpen highlights

It’s hard to imagine where the Angels would be without closer Jordan Walden, who began Wednesday with a 2.77 earned-run average and 21 saves, and setup man Scott Downs, who was 5-2 with a 1.45 ERA.

“What Downs and Walden have done has been a season-saver up to this point,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We wouldn’t be talking about getting into a pennant race if it wasn’t for those guys.”

They might be talking about sliding out of a pennant race if the rest of the bullpen doesn’t shape up.

The Angels expected Fernando Rodney, Kevin Jepsen and Michael Kohn to be key relievers, but Rodney (upper back strain) has been out for five weeks, Jepsen has been demoted to triple A twice and is on Salt Lake’s disabled list because of a sprained right knee, and Kohn was sent back to Salt Lake on Wednesday.

Hisanori Takahashi and Rich Thompson have thrived in lopsided games but struggled in several high-leverage situations, which is why the Angels are targeting relief help before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

“We’ve been searching for some chemistry in middle relief, which has historically been strong for us,” Scioscia said. “Some guys we were counting on haven’t materialized to the level we hoped.

“That’s been frustrating. We’ve lost some games with an inability to keep ourselves close, to give ourselves a shot to come back. We’re definitely looking for depth in our bullpen.”

The Angels’ never-ending quest for capable middle relief continued Wednesday when the team called up Horacio Ramirez, a 31-year-old left-hander who spent parts of seven seasons with Atlanta, Seattle, Kansas City, Washington and San Francisco.

Ramirez appeared in 39 games for Salt Lake, going 3-1 with a 3.47 ERA and six saves in 462/3 innings.

Kohn, who showed promise last season, going 2-0 with a 2.11 ERA in 24 games, was 0-1 with a 7.30 ERA in 121/3 innings in two stints with the Angels this season.

After Kohn gave up three homers in two innings of a 7-0 loss to Texas on Tuesday, he was sent down “to find his fastball command and a more consistent breaking ball,” Scioscia said.

Trade winds

There is a surplus of relievers available, and if the Angels are willing to part with a high- or close-to-high-end prospect, they should be able to upgrade the bullpen. Acquiring an impact bat — as it is most summers — will be a lot more challenging.

The Angels have been linked in rumors to Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez and Royals outfielder Melky Cabrera, but General Manager Tony Reagins was not bullish on the bat market in a radio interview with 710 ESPN on Wednesday.

“What we’re seeing right now is that real impact offensive player is really not out there,” Reagins said. “There are some guys out there that are intriguing, but for us, that big offensive piece has just not materialized.”

Short hops

Peter Bourjos (right hamstring strain) increased the intensity of his agility and running drills Wednesday and expects to be cleared to run the bases Friday. The center fielder is eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday…. Rodney pitched one inning, striking out one and giving up no hits in an Inland Empire class A game.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com