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Santana looks to halt losing stretch for Twins

Jun 9, 2007 - 2:34 PM Washington (25-36) at Minnesota (29-30) 7:10 pm EDT

MINNEAPOLIS (Ticker) -- It's the job of the team ace to stop a losing stretch whenever he needs to do so. Enter Johan Santana.

The Minnesota Twins continue their three-game interleague series with the Washington Nationals on Saturday at the Metrodome.

Santana (6-5, 3.30 ERA), who has been the American League's Cy Young Award winner in two of the past three seasons, is no stranger to putting the clamps on the opposition, especially when the weather gets warmer.

Last season, he posted a 5-0 June record with a 1.05 ERA on his way to a 19-6 record and a 2.77 ERA for the Twins, who have dropped five of their last six contests.

However, even the lefthander has proved human this season, as he is just one loss away from matching his loss total from a season ago, including Sunday's 4-2 defeat to Oakland, he surrendered four runs - three earned - and five hits over six frames. It marked his first loss in his last nine June starts.

Santana is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his only start against Washington.

It will be the task of Nationals rookie Levale Speigner (1-2, 9.10) to prolong Minnesota's misery. He is hoping to last for more than four innings for the first time this season and is looking to avoid losing his third straight start.

In Saturday's 11-3 defeat versus San Diego, the righthander allowed six runs and seven hits over four innings. Speigner, who was originally drafted by Minnesota in the 14th round of the 2003 draft, will be facing the Twins for the first time.