Jordan Walden brings the heat, but not to the right place

The Angels called on a flame-thrower to close Sunday’s game at Dodger Stadium.

But Jordan Walden’s blistering pitches — one clocked at 100 mph — kept coming out of his right hand the wrong way, making them stray from the strike zone.

Walden walked his first two batters in the ninth inning and struggled from then on as the Dodgers scored two runs to win, 3-2.

“I don’t know where it was going,” Walden (1-2) said of his fastball after his fifth blown save — and second straight — in 22 opportunities.

Angels Manager Mike Scioscia agreed it was Walden’s wildest performance yet, and blamed release-point issues.

“He had trouble getting the ball into good spots, and he had trouble finishing off hitters too,” Scioscia said.

The Angels manager added that he planned to check with pitching coach Mike Butcher to see whether Walden’s lower body looked off during his release.

Lofty praise

“If he gets a pitch and makes some adjustments, he might hit it 600 feet.”

Whoa. 600 feet? Who’s Scioscia talking about?

Mark Trumbo.

“He’s got as much raw power as anybody I’ve seen step into the batter’s box,” Scioscia said before Sunday’s game.

That includes Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Mike Piazza and Vladimir Guerrero, said Scioscia, who played with or against the former three and managed Guerrero.

“Very flattering,” Trumbo, 25-year-old first baseman, said of the comparisons.

But power has always been the main part of his game.

Entering Sunday, Trumbo, who was selected in the 18th round of the 2004 free agent draft from Villa Park High School, has a team-high 13 home runs, which led American League rookies.

Scioscia said Trumbo’s ability to adjust to pitchers’ game plans against him is excellent and then praised his power.

“He hits balls as hard and high and that keep going as well as anybody I’ve seen,” Scioscia said.

Trumbo said he usually swings for the fences. Growing up, he admired former Angels Tim Salmon and Troy Glaus, but his favorite hitter is Paul Konerko, who’s currently with the White Sox.

As for his power, Trumbo said the farthest home run he remembers hitting came last year when he played for triple-A Salt Lake.

“It cleared pretty much everything there was,” he said. “It went over the tree-line.”

But could he hit one 600 feet?

“No,” he said.

Hail to the chiefs

The famed Washington Nationals Presidents Race will take place at all three games at Angel Stadium during the three-game series that starts Monday.

The race features four individuals in 10-foot costumes with large caricatured heads of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.

For what it’s worth, Lincoln has a group-best 15 wins this season, while Roosevelt is winless in his last 400 races.

baxter.holmes@latimes.com

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