LA Angels (42-45) at Oakland (45-42) 4:05 pm EDT
OAKLAND, California (Ticker) - Ervin Santana can cap off a
strong performance by the starting rotation of the Los Angeles
Angels of Anaheim.
Riding a personal five-game winning streak, Santana (9-3, 4.13
ERA) steps on the hill for the Angels in the finale of a
four-game series with the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.
Santana has the opportunity to build off outstanding
performances by John Lackey and rookie Jered Weaver. On Friday,
Lackey tossed a one-hit shutout while striking out 10 and
walking none in a 3-0 win. He retired the last 27 batters he
faced.
Weaver was just as impressive Saturday, carrying a one-hit
shutout into the seventh of a 6-4 triumph. He yielded only two
hits and two walks with five strikeouts in seven scoreless
innings en route to improving to 6-0 this campaign.
Santana surrendered six runs and and six hits with six
strikeouts in eight frames of an eventual 14-6 victory over
Seattle on Tuesday. The Dominican righthander is 3-0 with a
1.61 ERA in four starts against the Athletics.
Oakland will counter with Dan Haren (6-6, 3.40), who lost a
decision to Anaheim on April 22 in which he was responsible for
five runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings. The righthander has
not received a decision in his previous three outings, the
latest being a 2-1, 10th-inning defeat of Detroit on Tuesday.
Haren struck out seven without a walk in seven frames while
giving up a run and four hits.
The Athletics opened the set with a 7-5 win Thursday thanks to a
game-ending two-run homer by veteran slugger Frank Thomas.