Picking up spares

I've been doing some real improvement to my bowling average. I started today at 126, and I bowled a 145 in the first game, and then a 140 in the second. Unfortunately, I lost my ability to pick up spares in the third game and had a dismal 105 in the 3rd game. That gives me a 130 average for the day, still above my season average...so that should go up a little. All day long I was putting the first ball in the almost perfect spot, but seemed to leave 2 or 3 pins EVERY TIME! It was very frustrating, I wanted and needed those strikes! In the first 2 games I was having a lot of success with those spares, in the last game not so much. Ahhh bowling, it's all fun until I get to that 3rd game!