The seventh and eighth innings have been a trouble spot for the Angels, who began 2009 thinking they had two of the game's top setup men, right-hander Scot Shields, who went 35-29 with a 3.11 earned-run average from 2004 to 2008, and right-hander Jose Arredondo, who went 10-2 with a 1.62 ERA as a rookie in 2008.
But Shields suffered a knee injury in spring training and was ineffective this season, going 1-3 with a 6.62 ERA before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a patella tendon tear in his left knee Tuesday, and Arredondo's command problems -- he was 1-3 with a 5.55 ERA -- led to his demotion to triple-A last week.
That has left the later innings to the trio of right-handers Justin Speier and Jason Bulger and left-hander Darren Oliver, who have had mixed -- but better, for the most part -- results getting the ball and a lead to closer Brian Fuentes.
Oliver has slipped since his first two months, when he had a 1.99 ERA; he has given up six earned runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings of his last six games and now has a 3.49 ERA.
Bulger has the best stuff of the three, a 94-mph fastball with a big curve, but control problems and inconsistency have prevented him from gaining a foothold in the big leagues.
That could be changing. Though he has walked five and given up two homers in four innings of his last five games, Bulger also has seven strikeouts in that span and has a 4.94 ERA in 26 games on the season, a much better overall body of work.
Speier has been a pleasant surprise. He appeared on the verge of being released when his ERA jumped to 8.18 in early May, but a rash of injuries probably spared him.
Then, he started commanding his fastball better and getting more bite on his split-fingered fastball. With better stuff and results -- Speier has given up one run and five hits in 7 1/3 innings of his last eight games -- have come more critical assignments.
On Wednesday in San Francisco, Manager Mike Scioscia summoned Speier in the eighth inning with two on, two out and the Angels leading the Giants, 4-3.
Speier struck out Aaron Rowand with a nasty split-fingered fastball, and the Angels held on for a victory that extended their winning streak to six before tonight's game against the Dodgers.
"Justin pitching well is definitely one of the solutions," to the Angels' bullpen woes, Scioscia said. "With what he can do, with what Oliver and Bulger can do, hopefully we can get some depth there."
