Angels’ bullpen falters

One step forward, two -- and sometimes three -- steps back. That seems to be the theme this season for the Angels’ once-proud bullpen, which has deteriorated to such a degree that it is now one of the most inconsistent and unreliable relief units in baseball.

Called on to protect a two-run, eighth-inning lead and preserve another win for budding star Jered Weaver, the trio of Jose Arredondo, Darren Oliver and Scot Shields coughed up three runs over the final two innings of a 4-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox in Angel Stadium.

“It’s an important part of the team, we need guys down there who can get outs,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of the bullpen. “Some guys are searching for stuff, some are finding it. We need to show more consistency, and right now, we’re struggling with that.”

Shields had his best outing of the year Sunday against Kansas City, striking out four in two hitless innings, and he minimized damage in the eighth, getting two ground-ball outs with the bases loaded.

But the veteran right-hander badly hung a breaking ball to Jason Varitek in the ninth, and the veteran catcher banged it into the gap in right-center field to drive in J.D. Drew, who led off with a single, with the winning run.

Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon, with the potential tying run at second base, struck out Torii Hunter to end the game and pick up his ninth save, ending the Angels’ winning streak at four games.

The Angels had extended a 2-1 lead to 3-1 with an unearned run in the seventh, a rally that began with third baseman Mike Lowell’s throwing error and ended with Hunter’s two-out run-scoring single.

Weaver’s pitch count stood at 98 through seven innings, in which the right-hander, coming off a complete-game win over Toronto on Thursday, gave up one run and four hits, struck out four and walked one, and retired 10 in a row from the second to fifth innings.

Scioscia went to a bullpen that, while showing signs of improvement in recent days, still began Tuesday’s game with a combined 2-8 record and a 6.75 earned-run average, worst in the major leagues.

“I think from where he was, how he looked, I would rather have a guy start a clean inning than come in with two on if Weav had gotten in trouble,” Scioscia said. “I thought we were in position to close it out.”

Weaver felt he could have gone at least one more inning but did not second-guess his manager.

“I felt good, but that’s not my decision,” Weaver said. “I’m more than happy to hand the ball to those guys. They couldn’t hold them down, but Boston is a team that always battles late in the game.”

Arredondo gave up one-out singles to No. 9 batter Nick Green and Jacoby Ellsbury and walked Julio Lugo to load the bases.

Scioscia summoned his veteran left-hander, Oliver, who got ahead of David Ortiz with a 1-and-2 count, the second strike a slider that Ortiz barely fouled off.

But instead of coming back with another breaking ball, Oliver tried to ride a fastball up and in and hit Ortiz on the left wrist, forcing in a run that made it 3-2.

Shields came on to retire Jason Bay on a grounder to the second base hole, but Ellsbury scored the tying run on the play. Lowell grounded out to end the inning.

A superb defensive play by left fielder Juan Rivera and catcher Jeff Mathis enabled the Angels to preserve a 2-1 lead in the sixth.

Ellsbury opened the inning with a bunt single, stole second base and took third on Lugo’s fly to right field. Ortiz followed with a fly to medium left field, where Rivera got his momentum moving toward the plate before making the catch and throwing home.

If Ellsbury had a clear path to the plate, he probably would have scored, but Mathis was able to handle the one-hop throw, block the plate and apply the tag almost instantaneously.

Kendry Morales’ sacrifice fly in the first inning gave the Angels a 1-0 lead. The Red Sox countered with J.D. Drew’s solo home run to center field in the second.

The Angels manufactured another run in the fourth, an inning that began with Howie Kendrick, who had all of two walks on the season, drawing his second walk of the game.

Mathis singled, both runners advanced on Chone Figgins’ sacrifice bunt, and Maicer Izturis hit a sacrifice fly to right field for a 2-1 lead.

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