Santana’s road woes carry double weight

Ervin Santana was all smiles in the Angels clubhouse Wednesday, showing off the swing he uses to bat in Nintendo Wii baseball and playfully posting up against Jered Weaver in a minute of phantom basketball.

But, when the subject of an interview changed to whether he might win on the road today, the smile vanished and the conversation stopped. Santana is tired of talking about his road woes, and understandably so.

If he can’t win on the road, today or sometime soon, the Angels could find themselves in double trouble. His confidence could erode, and so could the interest of teams interested in trading for him. The Angels have discussed him in trade talks over the last year, as a young starter who could bring a big bat in return, but the return could be limited if clubs aren’t sure whether he can win consistently outside Anaheim.

“You’ve got to realize they haven’t traded him yet,” Angels catcher Jose Molina said. “I think he’s got one of the best arms in the game. He’s throwing 94-95 [mph], with a good slider and a good change-up, and he won 16 games last year.

“Right now, you’re just being a little tough on him. If he doesn’t panic, he’ll be OK. He’ll win 14 or 15 games. At the end of the year, we won’t have this talk again.”

Santana, 24, is in his second full season in the major leagues. Angels Manager Mike Scioscia compared Santana’s challenge in winning on the road to John Lackey’s early career challenges of controlling his emotions and limiting big innings. Lackey, in his fifth full season, has emerged as one of the finest pitchers in the majors.

“They have some different issues, but there are definite parallels,” Scioscia said, “as far as a young player with very high expectations trying to make adjustments and find his game.”

Santana’s numbers this season: 3-1 with a 2.33 earned-run average at home, 0-4 with a 7.86 ERA on the road. His career numbers: 22-6 and 3.00 at home, 9-15 and 6.69 on the road.

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Second baseman Howie Kendrick got a 4 a.m. wake-up call in Sacramento on Wednesday, then took a flight to Denver and another to Detroit. He walked into the clubhouse at 4:20 p.m., and Scot Shields greeted him, with a subtle reminder the Angels had won six consecutive games.

“No pressure,” Shields told Kendrick. “If we lose tonight, you’re going back.”

Just kidding, of course. Kendrick had not played since April 17, when he was hit by a pitch and suffered a broken finger. He batted eighth, for the first time this season, as Scioscia said he wanted to “ease his way back into major league pitching.” Kendrick hit .320 on a seven-game rehabilitation assignment at triple-A Salt Lake.

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Juan Rivera, whose 23 home runs last season ranked second to Vladimir Guerrero, has yet to resume baseball activities as he recovers from a broken leg suffered in winter ball. The Angels hope the outfielder-designated hitter can return in six to eight weeks.

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As expected, the Angels on Wednesday released former closer Troy Percival from his minor league coaching contract so he could pursue a comeback with another team.

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bill.shaikin@latimes.com