Escobar finally gets support

CINCINNATI —  Perhaps the only thing more frustrating than what transpired on the field for Kelvim Escobar during his first three seasons as an Angel was the scene in the clubhouse afterward.

Too many times the right-hander would have to explain how it felt to pitch well and yet come out on the losing end because the offense failed to back him with enough runs. That’s what happens when you go 25-28 despite posting a very respectable 3.68 earned-run average.

This season has been delightfully different for Escobar, whose 7-3 record and 2.76 ERA have led to more pleasurable postgame encounters with reporters.

“I’m having better results,” said Escobar, who will start tonight for the Angels against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. “My record is definitely showing how well I’m pitching, and it’s making a big difference.”

Escobar is pitching deep into almost every game, going at least seven innings in seven of his last eight starts, and he has two complete games, including a seven-hit shutout against the Cleveland Indians.

Pitching coach Mike Butcher said improved fastball command and a quickening of Escobar’s tempo between pitches have made a difference.

“He’s always had the off-speed stuff, always been able to command that,” Butcher said. “The command of his fastball on both sides of the plate has been the biggest thing I can see along with controlling the tempo of the game.”

An Angels offense that often mustered only one or two runs for Escobar in years past also has contributed, averaging six runs in his 11 starts this season.

“You work so hard to get to this point,” Escobar said, “and when you see the good results it tells you that hard work pays off and you just have to be patient and wait for a return.”

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It’s not the most glamorous bullpen job, especially compared to the closer or set-up man, but middle relief is important, and right now, Hector Carrasco isn’t providing much of it.

The right-hander was a key reliever last season, going 7-3 with a 3.41 ERA in 56 games, but Carrasco is 1-1 with a 6.34 ERA this season and has given up seven home runs in 23 games and walked 22 in 32 2/3 innings.

Just when it looked as if Carrasco might finally be finding a groove with consecutive scoreless appearances against the St. Louis Cardinals, he gave up a three-run homer to Scott Spiezio in the seventh inning Sunday during the Angels’ 9-6 loss to Cardinals.

“I don’t know what’s happening -- my fastball has been up and my sinker is not moving,” Carrasco said. “This is the first time I’ve been in a slump like this. I’ve been looking at video to see if I’ve changed my mechanics.”

Carrasco’s struggles, combined with those of left-hander Darren Oliver (6.50 ERA in 23 games), have left Manager Mike Scioscia with only one reliable middle reliever, Dustin Moseley (4-0, 2.10 ERA) and pushed long reliever Chris Bootcheck into more of a middle-relief role.

With the Angels taking so many narrow leads into later innings, they’ve already used closer Francisco Rodriguez 26 times and set-up man Scot Shields 29 times.

Scioscia doesn’t want to overwork the pair, but he is becoming more reluctant to use Carrasco in crucial situations.

And when Carrasco enters a game with a big lead and gives up a few runs, it forces Scioscia to use Shields or Rodriguez in games he would rather not.

The Angels’ game against Baltimore on June 2 was a case in point: Carrasco, who has given up 12 runs and five homers in 10 2/3 innings of his last seven games, entered with a 7-2 lead in the ninth and gave up a two-run homer to Ramon Hernandez.

Scioscia instructed Rodriguez to warm up just in case, but Carrasco was able to get two fly-ball outs to end the game.

“Being able to bridge the gap in the middle innings is vital to our success,” Butcher said. “If we’re able to hold a big deficit, it gives the offense a chance to come back, and if we hold a big lead, it enables us not to use Scot or Frankie late in the game.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com