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Halos' Santana toes rubber in Toronto

Aug 12, 2011 - 3:11 PM (Sports Network) - Ervin Santana tries to win his fifth straight start this evening when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim open a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Santana won his fifth straight decision on Sunday against Seattle, as he allowed a run and seven hits in 8 1/3 innings to improve to 8-8 on the year, while lowering his earned run average to 3.21.

"I'm doing the same things I've been doing the whole year," Santana said. "I haven't changed. I had command of every pitch. Everything was working good."

Over his last eight starts Santana is 5-0 with a 1.57 ERA and has allowed just three runs in 34 innings in winning his last four outings. Of course, he also has a no-hitter in that span.

Santana, though, lost to the Blue Jays the last time he faced them and is 5-4 with a 4.12 ERA in 10 starts.

Los Angeles could use a big start from Santana tonight after losing two of three to the New York Yankees, including a 6-5 setback on Thursday. Maicer Izturis' error with two outs in the seventh inning loaded the bases for Robinson Cano, who hit a go-ahead grand slam.

Russell Branyan narrowed the deficit to one with a three-run homer off Mariano Rivera in the ninth, but that would be as close as they would get, as the Angels fell two games back of the idle Texas Rangers in the AL West standings.

Tonight's contest will also feature the return of Vernon Wells to Toronto, where he spent the first 12 years of his career before being dealt to Anaheim this offseason.

Wells, in the fifth year of a seven-year, $126 million contract, has been awful for the Angels this season, batting a career-low .208 with 16 homers and 44 RBI.

Toronto, meanwhile, comes into tonight's affair having lost two of three to the Oakland Athletics following a 10-3 setback in Thursday's finale.

Brad Mills (1-2) absorbed the loss and allowed six runs on five hits, two walks and a hit batter in just three innings.

J.P. Arencibia had a solo home run as the Jays lost for the fifth time in eight games.

Tonight, the Jays hand the ball to hard-throwing right-hander Brandon Morrow, who is 8-6 with a 4.51 ERA. Morrow lost for the second time in three starts on Saturday in Baltimore, as the Orioles reached him for six runs (three earned) and four hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Morrow is 0-2 with a 5.00 ERA in 15 games against the Angels, but this will be just his third start against them.

The Angels took two of three from the Jays back in early April.