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Bonderman looks to blister Angels in return

May 24, 2007 - 1:18 PM LA Angels (28-19) at Detroit (28-17) 1:05 pm EDT

DETROIT (Ticker) - With his blister no longer a concern, Detroit Tigers righthander Jeremy Bonderman is ready to inflict a little pain on the opposition.

Bonderman and the Tigers will play the rubber match of a three-game set on Thursday at Comerica Park when they host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Bonderman (2-0, 4.20 ERA), who went on the disabled list on May 9 due to blister problems on his right middle finger, still leads the Detroit pitching staff in strikeouts with 40 despite missing his last two starts. Bonderman, who has won two straight, did not factor into a decision in his first five outings of the season - the last no-decision coming against the Angels.

The 26th overall selection in the 2001 draft, Bonderman has 2-2 record with a 4.09 ERA in seven lifetime starts against the Angels. He benefited from seven runs of support in his last outing - a 9-7 win over the Mariners - as he allowed five runs and seven hits over six frames.

The Angels will counter with Ervin Santana (3-5, 5.06), who suffers from one of the worst cases of homesickness of any player in the majors. Over his career, the righthander is 22-6 with a 3.00 ERA at Angel Stadium as opposed to a 9-15 record and 6.69 ERA on the road.

Santana is 0-4 with a 7.86 ERA in five road starts this year. He has also surrendered nine home runs overall in just 26 1/3 innings away from home - including at least one home run in every road start.

The righthander is 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in three career starts against the Tigers, including a 0-1 mark with an 11.25 ERA in his only start at Comerica Park.

Despite striking out three times in five career at-bats against Santana, Detroit slugger Magglio Ordonez is 9-for-20 with three homers and five RBI in his last five games.