Estrada hit hard as Angels roll to easy victory

There is never a convenient time to struggle in the big leagues, but heading into the homestretch of a pennant race is particularly inopportune.

That’s what makes Marco Estrada’s last two starts so worrisome for the Blue Jays. The first-time all-star, who was among the American League’s best starting pitchers in the season’s first half, had another clunker on Wednesday night, allowing a seasonhigh six runs as the Jays fell 8-2 to the Los Angeles Angels.

The 33-year-old changeup artist, who has been remarkably adept at suppressing hits and hard contact for most of the last two years, has allowed 11 earned runs — including five homers — in his last two starts. He had allowed more than three earned runs in just two of his first 20 starts of the season.

Estrada’s mini slump coincides with the team’s implementation of an unconventional six-man starting rotation to limit the workload of young righty Aaron Sanchez.

“It’s obviously a little different,” he said earler this month, “but it only makes a big difference if you have an off-day in between or two off-days in between. Then obviously it turns from six days (off) to seven or eight or whatever.”

Wednesday’s start came after seven days off.

Unlike many other starting pitchers, Estrada doesn’t normally throw a bullpen session between starts, but he said he would now with the extra days off. He said he would also have more “lift days” in the weight room.

Even before the six-man rotation experiment, Estrada had struggled with extra rest this season. In 14 starts on five or more days rest, he has a 4.36 ERA, compared to a 2.05 mark in eight starts on four days rest.

With Sanchez now in the minors for a 10-day stretch to preserve his innings, Estrada’s next scheduled start is Monday in Baltimore, which would be on four days rest. Time will tell if that can help him off his recent slide.

Estrada would have had to be nearly perfect on Wednesday for the Jays to have a shot, given their offence was held to just a pair of late runs. Angels right-hander Matt Shoemaker — he of the shoe-polish beard — who held them to three hits over six innings.

The Angels jumped on Estrada early with Mike Trout and Albert Pujols slamming back-to-back homers. It was Pujols’ 584th career blast, moving him ahead of Mark McGwire into 10th place all-time.