Athletics 0 - 4 Angels
Final
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Angels' Santana goes for back-to-back wins vs. Oakland

May 15, 2012 - 3:02 PM (Sports Network) - The LA Angels of Anaheim hope Ervin Santana can string consecutive winning starts together for the first time this season when he takes the mound tonight in the finale of a two-game set versus the Oakland Athletics.

Santana started the season 0-6 in his first six outings and pitched to a lofty 5.59 earned run average over 46 innings. The right-hander pitched well in the back end of his slide to start the season, but it wasn't enough to give him a victory. He posted win No. 1 last Wednesday in a 6-2 triumph at Minnesota, as he held the hosts to a pair of runs and six hits in 7 1/3 innings.

He struck out one batter after mowing down 10 the previous night and is now 1-6 in seven starts with a 5.09 ERA. Santana is winless in three home starts this season (0-3) and was beaten by the A's back on April 18, when he gave up four runs in seven innings of a 6-0 loss. In 24 career games (22 starts) against Oakland, Santana is 13-4 with a 2.15 ERA.

The last time Santana won back-to-back starts was from Aug. 27-Sept 1, 2011.

Anaheim dropped the opener of this series in Oakland by a 5-0 score, as starting pitcher Dan Haren was hit for four runs in six innings to take the loss. Haren allowed six hits, struck out five and walked four batters.

"This team is too good to be shutout as many times as we have," said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. "We had better at-bats tonight that are not going to show up in the box score."

Maicer Izturis had three of the eight hits for the Angels in the loss. The Halos have dropped two straight and four of six games. Anaheim was without outfielder Torii Hunter after he left the team before Monday's game following the arrest of his teenage son. Hunter is not expected to play tonight and is batting .256 with five homers and 15 RBI this season.

Oakland opened its seven-game road trip on a positive note last night, as Seth Smith drove in two runs and scored once and Josh Reddick homered. Kurt Suzuki finished with two hits and an RBI.

Tyson Ross started on the hill and gave up just five hits and a walk with two strikeouts over six innings for the victory.

"After a rough first inning I stayed with my game plan," said Ross. "I tried not to get the pitch count up too high. I mixed it up with split-changeups and breaking balls. I like the mound here and I feel like I'm on top of the hitter."

The Athletics have won eight of their last 12 games and will also visit the Rangers and Giants on the current road trip.

Former Angel Bartolo Colon hopes to end a four start winless streak (0-2) tonight when he gets the ball for the A's. Colon lasted only 2 1/3 innings in Thursday's 10-6 loss to Detroit after he was pounded for eight runs -- seven earned -- and nine hits with no strikeouts or walks.

Colon has allowed at least two runs in each of his last four outings. He is 2-0 in four road starts in 2012 and will try to beat the Angels for a second time this season after defeating them back on April 18 with eight shutout innings, five K's and no walks. Colon, a right-hander, opposed Santana that day and is 9-5 with a 3.46 ERA in 19 career starts against the Halos. Colon won the 2005 AL Cy Young Award with the Angels.

Oakland has won four of five meetings with the Halos this season and four in a row overall.






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