Tyler Skaggs provides glimmer of hope for next season for Angels

A playoff spot is well out of reach, but Tyler Skaggs provided another glimmer of hope for 2017 with his second superb start since returning from elbow surgery, giving up four hits in 5 1/3 innings, striking out eight and walking two in the Angels’ 5-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.

Mixing a fastball that sat between 92-94 mph and changing speeds with a sharp curve, Skaggs stifled an offense that leads the major leagues with 574 runs and an .827 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

The left-hander’s only real trouble came in the fifth inning, when Bryce Brentz and Mookie Betts singled with one out. Skaggs struck out Dustin Pedroia for the third time — all on curves, this one looking — and Xander Bogaerts swinging at a curve to end the inning.

Skaggs struck out David Ortiz to start the sixth inning and was pulled in favor of Deolis Guerra. He threw 97 pitches, 64 for strikes.

“The curveball was the key,” Skaggs said. “I threw it often. I threw it for a strike and bounced it when I wanted to. … When I threw it for a strike it was a little slower, 74-75 mph. When I wanted a strikeout I went 78-79 mph. It worked out well today.”

Missed opportunity

The Angels bunched a double, two singles and a walk in the first inning and somehow failed to score, the bizarre rally marked by two players getting tagged out at the plate.

Yunel Escobar led off with a double and Kole Calhoun walked. Mike Trout looped a single to left, and the throw home from Brentz, while several feet up the third base line, beat Escobar, who tried to sidestep catcher Ryan Hanigan.

The ball squirted out of Hanigan’s glove as he applied the tag, but Escobar was unable to reach the plate with his right toe, his momentum carrying him just beyond the dirt circle around the plate. Pitcher Steven Wright, backing up the play, retrieved the ball and tagged Escobar for the first out.

Albert Pujols blooped a single to right field to load the bases. Andrelton Simmons struck out, the ball nicking off Hanigan’s glove and rolling to the backstop. But Calhoun appeared to get a bad jump from third, and Hanigan’s throw to Wright was in time for the pitcher to tag Calhoun for the third out.

Short hops

Some heckling from fans behind the third base dugout sparked a lengthy conversation between Escobar, Manager Mike Scioscia and umpire Joe West during the fourth inning. “There were were some people going back and forth with Yunel in the stands,” Scioscia said. “It was no big deal.” … Pujols finished July with 31 runs batted in, the fifth time in his career and first time since June 2009 he has driven in 30 runs or more in a calendar month. … Nick Tropeano, who tore his elbow ligament July 18, will visit another specialist in New York on Monday before deciding whether to undergo surgery or attempt a more conservative treatment, such as stem-cell therapy or platelet-rich plasma injections. … Utility player Cliff Pennington, out since June 1 because of a left hamstring strain, is expected to be activated for Tuesday night’s game against Oakland.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

Twitter: @MikeDiGiovanna