ANAHEIM -- Behind in the count against Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia in the ninth inning, Angels closer Huston Street thought his slider had enough bite to miss his bat. It didn't.
The slider instead found the barrel of the bat as Pedroia cracked a Statcast-projected 417-foot homer to give Boston the lead. Three pitches later, a mistake slider to Xander Bogaerts also found its way into the stands as the Red Sox rallied to hand the Angels a 5-3 loss on Sunday at Angel Stadium.
"It just wasn't very sharp," Street said of the pitch to Pedroia. "It just rolled in there, and that happens sometimes. You're trying to locate a pitch and you don't snap it off, that's probably what it was. I didn't pull it down hard enough. I thought since I put it in that location, [Pedroia] couldn't hit a homer."
It's been a frustrating season for Street. Given a three-run cushion to begin his outing, Street gave up five runs in two-thirds of an inning to balloon his ERA to 6.45 and give him his third blown save of the year. He's had his name tossed around in trade discussions, though he may not have many suitors left as Monday's 1 p.m. PT non-waiver Trade Deadline looms.
He hasn't pitched that often, as Sunday marked the first time since April 21-23 that he'd worked on consecutive days, and he's been battling his way to regain the form he had before sustaining a left oblique strain, the first injury of its kind for Street. Before the injury, he had a 1.17 ERA in nine appearances. In his 17 outings since, he's posted a 8.62 ERA in 15 2/3 innings.
"Some seasons are a battle, but I expected to get it done today," Street said of working back-to-back days. "I had no reason not to. I wasn't tired, I felt good out there. Since the oblique injury, it's been a tale of two seasons."
This season has also introduced something that's been rare for Street since he began closing games in the Majors -- competition. Reliever Cam Bedrosian has elevated himself into the eighth-inning setup role, posting a 0.92 ERA that's second-best among American League relievers with at least 20 innings this season. He hasn't allowed a run since May 31, a run of 24 consecutive appearances that is the fourth-longest in team history.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he's not ready to make a change.
"I think Cam's already worked his way to the back end of our bullpen," Scioscia said. "We need depth back there, for sure, and we need a guy in the ninth inning that's going to hold leads, and that's where Huston comes in."
Street said he still feels he has what it takes to be an elite closer in the game, and his career numbers back it up. He's at 324 career saves, just two shy of tying Roberto Hernandez for 16th all-time. He's converted 85.9 percent of his career saves, and just a year ago had 40 saves in his 45 chances.
"Give me that next chance," Street said. "In my head, I'm going to go out there and get it done and figure out a way. That's what I've done my whole career. I've had way worse blown save seasons that this season. As far as hits and ERA, that stuff is terrible this season. It's not fun blowing a save. I'm not saying I'm done. I'm not saying I can't. I'll figure it out."