Santana Party Is Too Rowdy

What should have been a joyous occasion for Angel pitcher Ervin Santana turned sour Friday night when the rookie’s brother, cousin and two friends who flew from the Dominican Republic to see Santana pitch were ejected by Yankee Stadium security officials in the sixth inning because of disorderly conduct.

“They were pretty jubilant, waving the Dominican flag every time I came off the mound and chanting my nickname [El Meneo],” said Santana, who pitched superbly -- one run in 6 1/3 innings of a 4-1 victory -- in his Yankee Stadium debut. “When I came out for the sixth inning, I didn’t see them. I was wondering if they went and got something to eat or something. Then I found out after the game what happened.”

Stadium security officials, at the request of the Angels, investigated the incident, and Rick Cerrone, the Yankees’ director of media relations, said the group in question “was disorderly for a long period of time, and some members of the party were intoxicated.”

The group, which included Santana’s brother, Jose Ramon Santana, and cousin, Pabel Rodriguez, were asked several times to stop obstructing the view of fans around them, and when they did not comply, they were ejected. There did not appear to be any altercation between Santana’s family and friends and Yankee fans.

Santana seemed agitated and somewhat distracted while speaking with reporters after the game. Though the 22-year-old right-hander became only the third rookie pitcher to beat the Yankees twice in one week in 20 years -- the other two were Boston’s Brian Rose in May 1999 and Texas’ Kevin Brown in May 1989 -- Santana’s postgame comments were not accompanied by his trademark grin.

“I don’t want my family members to be singled out and kicked out of a game,” Santana said. “This was the first time they’ve watched me pitch in a big league uniform. With help from the Angels, we’re looking for an explanation.”

*

General Manager Bill Stoneman, hoping to find a match before today’s 1 p.m. (PDT) non-waiver trade deadline, continued to work the phones before and during Saturday’s game, but he didn’t seem any closer to making a deal.

“We’re looking for someone to help the club, and the number of players who can help us are really limited,” Stoneman said. “We’re not going to make a move that detracts from this year’s club.”

Reliever Scot Shields and utility player Chone Figgins have attracted the most interest from other teams. Asked if the prices for players the Angels are pursuing -- among them are Kansas City slugger Mike Sweeney and Seattle left-handed reliever Ron Villone -- have come down, Stoneman said:

“I wouldn’t look at it that way. It’s a matter of coming to an agreement with another club that meets the purposes of both clubs. In terms of value given for value received, there have been a lot of proposals, but nothing has worked yet.”

Asked if he felt an obligation to make a move to improve the Angels, Stoneman said, “I feel an obligation to check out all possibilities.”

*

Left-hander Jake Woods, who was recalled from triple-A Salt Lake on Friday and gave up a two-run homer to Jason Giambi in the eighth inning Saturday, was sent back to Salt Lake after the game to make room for right-hander Chris Bootcheck, who will start today’s series finale against the Yankees.... Manager Mike Scioscia hopes slotting Orlando Cabrera behind leadoff hitter Figgins will help the struggling shortstop focus more on situational hitting and contact -- moving runners over, hit-and-run plays. “He can drive the ball, but he’s more of a situational hitter,” Scioscia said. “We need to get him in that role, and sometimes putting a guy in a different spot in the order can be a catalyst for that.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Three and out

The Angels have used closer Francisco Rodriguez three days in a row four times this season. In that third game, K-Rod has two saves, but also two losses. His statistics in those games:

*--* DATE/OPP. IP H ER SO BB DEC. Apr. 22/Oak. 1 3 2 2 0 L July 15/Minn. 1 0 0 2 1 S July 23/N.Y. 1 0 0 1 0 S July 30/N.Y. 1 1 3 2 4 L Totals 4 4 5 7 5 --

*--*