Casey Kotchman of the Angels follows through on a two-run double that gave his team the lead during the eighth inning of last night’s series finale against the Red Sox. Los Angeles completed a three-game sweep after its eighth-inning rally.

AP / Gus Ruelas

ANAHEIM, Calif. — In the seventh inning, they had gotten the break that eluded them in the first two games of the series, and the Red Sox were telling themselves that, just maybe, their road fortunes were about to change.

Vladimir Guerrero had mishandled a line drive hit directly at him, enabling Coco Crisp to score from second and the Red Sox had their first lead of the afternoon.

Maybe the Red Sox wouldn’t get swept, after all. Maybe they would succeed in finally beating a good team on the road. Maybe they wouldn’t, for a change, waste another fine effort by Tim Wakefield.

With a modest pitch count, Wakefield went back out for the eighth inning and promptly gave up back-to-back doubles. A sacrifice, a walk and a ringing double down the right-field line later, and the Angels had themselves a 5-3 win.

The loss resulted in a sweep for the Angels and more road misery for the Red Sox, who dipped to 21-32 on the road.

For the series, the Sox managed just eight runs.

“We’re not going to win a lot of games by scoring two or three runs,” said Dustin Pedroia, one of the few Sox players who continues to hit, regardless of the venue. “It seems like we’re not getting consecutive good at-bats like they did in the eighth. We haven’t been doing that.

“We’ve got to find a way to have better at-bats. The approach is there, but the results aren’t.”

Case in point: in the last two games of the series, the Sox were a combined 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position.

Wakefield gave up back-to-back solo homers to Guerrero and Torii Hunter in second, but surrendered just two singles over the next five innings. Before Juan Rivera cracked his leadoff double to start the trouble in the eighth, Wakefield had retired 18 of the previous 20 hitters he had faced.

Over the last 10 starts, Wakefield has a 2.43 ERA, but has just three wins to show for his efforts.

“It (stinks),” said a somber Wakefield of his run of frustration. “I did what I had to do — I got us to the eighth inning with the lead. It’s not easy; it’s not fun, either.”

“It’s like a broken record,” said catcher Kevin Cash, bemoaning the lack of support for the knuckleballer.

Unlike the first two games of the series, when the Sox were entirely dependent on the home run for their runs, the team scrapped to score yesterday.

Pedroia singled with one out in the third and came around on an opposite-field double by Manny Ramirez. Ramirez then scored when Mike Lowell snapped an 0-for-15 slump with a bloop single to right.

The offense was shut down by Jon Garland after the third, however. After Lowell’s single in the second, the Sox managed exactly one more hit over the final six innings. Their go-ahead run was more a gift from the Angels than anything the Sox themselves produced.

In the seventh, Crisp worked a one-out walk, stole second and, off with the pitch with two out, scored when Jacoby Ellsbury’s liner popped into, then out of Guerrero’s glove.

But then came the eighth.

After the two doubles, Terry Francona went to Manny Delcarmen. Jeff Mathis got a bunt down to move Howie Kendrick to third, and with first base open, walked Chone Figgins.

But Casey Kotchman ripped a double and the Sox found themselves swept for the sixth time this season on the road.

Of their last 10 road losses, six have been by a run and three others were by two runs, pointing out just how important a key hit or two would be. When they return home Friday, they’ll get David Ortiz back in the lineup.

In the meantime, they’ll have to make do with that they have.

Francona ruled out the possibility of lineup or batting-order changes.

“You set (the batting order) up how you think it best works,” he said. “If I thought it would help to move guys around, I would do it. But at some point, we just have to get hits.”

“We’ll be all right,” vowed Pedroia. “We’ve still got 60-something games left. It’s a long season.”

Then, as if suddenly struck by the team’s futility away from home and faced with three games at Seattle’s Safeco Field, where the Sox have struggled even in good times, Pedroia adopted a less carefree stance.

“But we need to find a way,” said Pedroia.

And soon.

smcadam@projo.com