Santana Is at the Top of His Game This Time

Too bad Ervin Santana didn’t pitch for the Angels when the Walt Disney Co. owned the team. Disneyland could have named a roller coaster after the rookie right-hander, who has taken the Angels on a nine-game thrill ride filled with rapid ascents, harrowing drops, and almost nothing in between.

Santana reached another peak Monday night, limiting baseball’s hottest team to two runs and four hits in seven innings of the Angels’ 5-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics before an announced 40,546 in Angel Stadium.

The Angels took advantage of some aggressive baserunning, a lucky bounce and a clutch hit to score four runs in the sixth inning, and their fourth win in five games since the All-Star break pushed their lead over Texas in the American League West to eight games. Oakland, which is 30-13 since May 30, is 8 1/2 games back.

Santana (4-4) continued his pattern of great start following awful start. In four wins -- over the Chicago White Sox, Dodgers, Minnesota and Oakland -- and a no-decision against Washington, Santana has allowed five earned runs in 34 innings for a 1.32 ERA. In losses to Cleveland, Florida, Texas and Seattle, Santana has allowed 25 earned runs in 13 2/3 innings for a 16.46 ERA.

Monday night, Santana seemed poised, impossible to rattle, but that confidence may have stemmed from the player on the receiving end of Santana’s pitches as much as the one delivering them.

“I think Bengie Molina was the story,” Angel Manager Mike Scioscia said, referring to his Gold Glove award-winning catcher. “It’s tough when you have a young pitcher with great stuff who is searching for what he needs to do to find consistency.

“Bengie got a little lower, he was on one knee sometimes, and gave Ervin the visual he needed to locate pitches. He had him ahead in counts most of the night and brought some breaking balls into the game on fastball counts. He had him down in the zone. He called a great game.”

Though Santana’s performance leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trading deadline could determine whether the Angels pursue another starting pitcher, Scioscia did not want to attach any added significance to Monday’s start.

“We’re not at any crossroads or on deadline to make a decision; there’s no sense of urgency,” Scioscia said. “Any time a pitcher goes out there he has a job to do, and that’s to give us a chance to win. He’s been terrific at times, and he’s struggled at times. You just hope he performs well enough to get some positive momentum going.”

Monday night’s game can’t hurt. Santana was dominant for five innings, mixing his fastball, slider and changeup effectively, blanking the A’s on three hits and appearing unfazed despite a leadoff walk to Eric Chavez in the second and a leadoff double by Nick Swisher in the third.

Santana followed the Chavez walk with strikeouts of Scott Hatteberg and Bobby Kielty, and Dan Johnson flied out. After Swisher’s double, Santana retired Marco Scutaro (strikeout), Jason Kendall (groundout) and Mark Kotsay (fly out).

Santana walked two in the sixth, and Hatteberg’s two-run double gave the A’s a 2-1 lead, erasing an advantage the Angels built in the first when Chone Figgins singled, stole second, took third on Darin Erstad’s groundout and scored on Vladimir Guerrero’s sacrifice fly.

But Figgins kick-started the Angels again in the sixth, leading off with a walk against Oakland starter Kirk Saarloos and stealing second. Figgins took third on Erstad’s infield single to first and scored on Guerrero’s fielder’s choice to make it 2-2.

Garret Anderson singled to center, advancing Guerrero to third, and Anderson took second when Kotsay’s throw skipped by Chavez at third. Steve Finley was walked intentionally to load the bases, and Molina popped to short for the second out.

But Jeff DaVanon, on an 0-and-2 pitch, chopped a grounder high off the plate for an infield single, scoring the go-ahead run, and Orlando Cabrera lined a two-run single to center for a 5-2 lead.

“We caught a break on the DaVanon bounce, but what was important is we kept pressuring them all inning,” Scioscia said. “We did some nice things with the stolen base, Erstad breaking up a double play, going first to third. We did a lot of positive things that inning.”

Santana did a lot of positive things all night. Now, he needs to follow it up with a strong start against the New York Yankees on Saturday.

“I have to be consistent,” Santana said. “I don’t know why I’ve gone back and forth. I try to do good every day, but sometimes I’m good, sometimes I’m not.”