Santana appears out as playoff starter

BALTIMORE -- Mike Scioscia would never admit it because it goes against his manager’s philosophy of focusing on today’s game and not tomorrow.

But his decision to insert Bartolo Colon into the rotation for Friday’s game against the Chicago White Sox and move erratic right-hander Ervin Santana from the rotation to the bullpen was probably made with the postseason in mind.

Barring injury to John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, Jered Weaver or Joe Saunders, Santana, who is 6-13 with a 5.95 earned-run average and was demoted to triple-A Salt Lake for a month, appears to have no shot of making the Angels’ playoff rotation.

But Santana did have one memorable relief appearance -- his only one in the big leagues -- replacing the injured Colon in Game 5 of the 2005 American League division series and giving up three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings of a series-clinching win over the New York Yankees.

The Angels believe Santana could have some value as a reliever, and Colon, if he comes close to regaining his form after sitting out nearly two months because of an elbow irritation, could factor into the playoff rotation if he excels in the three regular-season starts he was expected to get.

“Ervin has shown he can be valuable in the bullpen, and if Bart can throw the ball with any consistency down the stretch, it will give us a lift,” Scioscia said. “If Bart has issues with health or execution or performance, Ervin is not too far away from going back into the rotation. It’s a better way to go right now.”

Santana, who met with Scioscia before Tuesday’s game, seemed to take his latest demotion in stride.

“I’m just going to be ready in the bullpen when I get my chance,” Santana said through an interpreter. “At this point, I’m not going to think too much about it. This happened before in 2005, and I went to the bullpen and had fun.”

Was Santana’s pride hurt?

“No.”

Colon, who hopes to make one last impression before his four-year, $51-million contract expires after the season, was 5-0 with a 3.69 ERA in his first six starts this season in his return from a rotator-cuff tear but was slowed by triceps tendinitis in May and was 1-6 with a 9.26 ERA in his next 10 starts. He made the last of three minor league rehabilitation starts Sept. 5.

Vladimir Guerrero returned to the lineup at designated hitter after sitting out four games because of an inflamed right triceps and crushed a pair of two-run home runs, to center field in the third inning and left-center in the seventh.

Guerrero, who was diagnosed with an impingement in the back of his elbow, said he would DH for three or four games and begin playing catch today in hopes of returning to right field by this weekend.

Scioscia said the injury was not expected to impact Guerrero’s long-range ability to play the outfield or require any kind of surgery after the season.

“Right now, it just needs to calm down, and it has,” Scioscia said. “If Vlad can swing the bat, that’s big for our lineup.”

Infielder Maicer Izturis, who started 21 of the previous 23 games, has a sore right foot and did not start Tuesday night. . . . Switch-hitter Chone Figgins took batting practice from the right side Tuesday for the first time since suffering a bruised left wrist, which sidelined him from Aug. 22 to Sept. 5, raising the Angels’ hopes that he would be able to start against left-handed pitchers. Figgins batted from the right side in the eighth inning Tuesday and reached on a bunt single.

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mike.digiovannna@latimes.com