Escobar Is Getting Little Help

Kelvim Escobar has been through this before. The Angels right-hander ranked 10th in the American League with a 3.93 earned-run average and fourth with 191 strikeouts in 2004, and all he had to show for it was an 11-12 record.

Back then, the Angels rarely seemed to hit behind Escobar. They were shut out 10 times that season, five of those coming in Escobar starts. But at least they backed Escobar with solid defense -- all 91 of the runs he gave up in 2004 were earned.

That is hardly the case this season. In addition to spotty run support, the Angels keep crumbling defensively when Escobar is on the mound, and Wednesday night it was an error by third baseman Chone Figgins that helped extend Escobar’s winless streak to six games.

Kansas City capitalized on the miscue during its game-tying rally in the sixth inning, and Matt Stairs knocked in the go-ahead run with a two-out single in the eighth off Scot Shields, as the lowly Royals beat the Angels, 4-3, for their seventh road victory of the season.

Shields took the loss, which dropped the Angels 5 1/2 games behind Texas in the AL West, sparing Escobar from his sixth consecutive loss, but the right-hander still has not won a game since May 12, despite an ERA of 4.02 in his last six starts.

“I just have to keep throwing, and hopefully my luck is going to turn around and I’ll win some games,” said Escobar, who has given up 47 runs this season, 33 of them earned. “It’s tough. I think I’m throwing well enough to win, but this is baseball; you can’t control that.”

The Angels did little against Royals left-hander Mark Redman, with the exception of Robb Quinlan’s three-run home run in the second, primarily because they failed to put the leadoff runner on base in all eight innings against Redman, who gave up four hits while effectively mixing a 91-mph fastball and 74-mph changeup.

But the Angels threatened against hard-throwing closer Ambiorix Burgos in the ninth when Vladimir Guerrero led off with a single. Pinch-hitter Adam Kennedy struck out after fouling off two bunt attempts, but Guerrero took second on a wild pitch, and Mike Napoli walked.

Up stepped Darin Erstad, who entered as a pinch-runner in the seventh inning, for his eighth plate appearance since missing six weeks because of an ankle injury.

Kendry Morales, one of the Angels’ more productive hitters since being called up from triple-A Salt Lake three weeks ago, stepped into the on-deck circle, and Dallas McPherson, who hit .394 (13 for 33) in his last 14 games, was in the hole, ready to bat after Morales if the Angels could extend the inning.

Both could have batted for the .221-hitting Erstad, but Manager Mike Scioscia stuck with Erstad, who grounded to second to start a game-ending double play.

Escobar’s last two losses were marred by Guerrero errors. Wednesday it was Figgins, making his second start at third base in 26 games, who botched a play behind the right-hander.

Escobar, who retired 14 of 15 batters after Mark Grudzielanek’s first-inning homer, gave up a leadoff single to John Buck in the sixth, and David DeJesus slapped a grounder to third.

Figgins went to one knee to field the ball and remained on one knee for his throw to second, which sailed several feet wide of Maicer Izturis and into right field, allowing Buck to take third.

Grudzielanek’s double scored Buck to make it 3-2, and Doug Mientkewicz’s grounder scored DeJesus.

“Figgins was trying to be aggressive, but the reality of it was he was not going to double up DeJesus, because he’s a fast runner,” Scioscia said. “You definitely want to gather yourself, get to your feet and get the lead runner.”