Escobar can’t catch a break in Angels’ loss

OAKLAND -- There was little for Kelvim Escobar to be wild about Saturday afternoon after a performance in which he gave up only two hits, took a one-run lead into the sixth inning and still came out on the losing end.

There was plenty to regret after the right-hander tied a career high with seven walks and committed a key error that helped the Oakland Athletics rally for a 2-1 victory over the Angels at McAfee Coliseum.

“I should have made that play right there,” Escobar said of his sixth-inning blunder, a play in which he couldn’t catch shortstop Orlando Cabrera’s throw while covering first base to complete a potential double play. The ball zoomed past Escobar and out of the field of play, allowing Donnie Murphy to score the tying run from third base.

Oakland scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning thanks to two walks and pinch-hitter Travis Buck’s two-out run-scoring single that fell near the right-field line.

Just like that, the Athletics won for the eighth time in 12 games this season against the Angels after logging only 23 at-bats against Escobar and reliever Chris Bootcheck. It was Oakland’s first victory in a game in which it had two hits or fewer since 1998.

“I worked the count pretty well and I threw some good pitches, some pitches close to the strike zone, and I didn’t get the call,” said Escobar, who thought he was erratic only on a sixth-inning walk to Shannon Stewart.

Escobar (11-6) has lost three consecutive starts despite compiling a 2.45 earned-run average over that stretch, and there is a familiar culprit: The Angels have scored a total of four runs in those games.

“Kelvim’s been through this before,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “We haven’t had that [offensive] continuity since the All-Star break that we had in the first half, and we have to get back into that game.”

The Angels had seven hits in the first four innings against Oakland starter Joe Blanton (9-8) but could strike for only one run on Jeff Mathis’ second-inning sacrifice fly.

After hitting four homers and driving in seven runs in the first two games of the series, Vladimir Guerrero could manage only a first-inning single Saturday. The Athletics intentionally walked the slugger with two out and nobody on in the third.

“I haven’t seen that,” Scioscia said.

Garret Anderson singled to center field to put runners on first and second, but Gary Matthews Jr. grounded out to first baseman Nick Swisher to end the inning. The Angels mustered only three more baserunners the rest of the game.

Escobar appeared to have found a groove in the middle innings, having retired 10 of 11 batters before walking Murphy to lead off the sixth. He walked Stewart one out later to put runners on first and second before Swisher hit a potential double-play grounder to first baseman Casey Kotchman.

Kotchman threw to Cabrera to retire Stewart at second base, but the relay throw nicked off Escobar’s glove and Murphy trotted home with the tying run.

“It was tough, but I should have made the play,” Escobar said. “I got there on time and saw the throw.”

Escobar said his frustration level wasn’t mounting even though he has little to show for a string of recent strong performances.

“I think I’m pitching good enough to have more wins and have more wins as a team, but that doesn’t get to my head because I’m a professional and we all here want to do our job,” he said. “Believe me, they don’t want to go up there and go 0 for 4, 0 for 5. They’re trying hard. Sometimes we try too hard, I think.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com