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Santana hopes to become AL's third six-game winner

May 5, 2008 - 1:36 PM LA Angels (20-13) at Kansas City (14-16) 8:10 pm EDT

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) - Every time Joe Saunders has recorded a win this season, Ervin Santana has matched the feat the very next day. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim would like nothing more than to continue that pattern.

Santana hopes to join Saunders in the American League's six-win club on Sunday when they start a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals.

Each time Saunders (5-0, 2.48 ERA) has won a game this season, Santana has followed with one of his own, often in spectacular fashion. That pattern has even carried over to road games, where Santana is 3-0 with a 3.72 ERA in 2008 after going 7-17 with a 5.89 ERA in his first two seasons.

If Santana - who has yet to allow more than three runs in any of his six starts this season - wins again on Monday, he would join the New York Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang and Saunders as the only the six-game winners in the AL.

He would also become the fourth pitcher in Angels history to start a season 6-0 or better, joining Saunders, teammate Jered Weaver in 2006 and Aaron Sele in 2004.

The righthander picked up his fourth win in as many starts in Wednesday's 6-1 win over Oakland, allowing one unearned run and four hits over 6 2/3 innings.

His counterpart on the mound will be Brett Tomko (1-3, 6.26) who hasn't won since his first start of the season on April 6. The righthander extended his winless streak to four games with a no-decision in Tuesday's 9-5 win over Texas, tossing just 3 1/3 frames while allowing five runs and seven hits to go along with three walks.