ANGELS: NEW SPIN MIGHT HAVE HIM REELING ALTERATION TO SLIDER COULD BE HAMPERING SANTANA.

Byline: DOUG PADILLA 

Staff Writer

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - If only Ervin Santana knew that by tightening his slider he would weaken his ability to dominate from the mound.

Santana, a 16-game winner a year ago, had one primary focus in spring training this year: Sharpen the spin on a slider that had acted more like a curveball in previous seasons. At the time, the move didn't seem so foolhardy.

At the precocious age of 24, it seemed Santana would be improving his pitching arsenal after winning 28 games in his first two seasons. Even with two seasons to get a read on Santana, the American League would be another step behind the budding pitching phenom.

Somehow, though, that slight alteration seems to have Santana spinning off his axis.

How else to describe how Santana went from a .241 opponents' batting average last year to a .290 mark this season? There seems no better way to explain how a pitcher with 16 career defeats in 56 starts coming into this season already has 10 losses this season after 18 outings.

"I think one (thing missing) is a consistent breaking ball, and the other is the great life he has on his fastball," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Santana. "Maybe he's trying to manipulate it too much to force some movement. I think he has some things in his mechanics and his delivery that has not been clean and consistent, and when you add it all up you're seeing a guy that has been a little too hit-and-miss for what he has been in the past."

Santana's struggles have been so pronounced that the team can't even afford to give him a break. Instead of starting Santana at home -- where he is much more comfortable -- in his first second-half start, he will have to make his post-All-Star Game debut in a hostile environment.

Yes, even the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' Tropicana Field, where Santana will pitch today, qualifies as hostile. Santana is just 1-2 at the Trop with a 7.41 ERA in three starts.

Compared with his road numbers this season, his Florida totals don't look so bad. Santana is 1-8 away from home with an 8.59ERA this season. In his career, Santana is 10-19 on the road with a 7.07 ERA.

Visiting mounds have been so unfriendly this year, Santana has been the losing pitcher in two 12-0 defeats this season. The worst shutout defeat in franchise history was a 14-0 beating by the Seattle Mariners 20 years ago.

"One of the things, if you're in sports as the GM or manager or pitching coach or whatever, one of the things you have to have is patience," general manager Bill Stoneman said. "You have to understand that you're going to have ups and downs. Ervin's had his share of downs this year, no question, but he won 16 games for us last year.

"He doesn't have an arm problem at all."

Both Scioscia and Stoneman declined to say if Santana is in danger of losing his job, but ...

"While you say that, you always want your best 25 out there," Stoneman said. "At some point you reach decisions on a lot of things. We haven't reached a point where we've decided that he's not one of our best 25. He's going to go out there (today). We hope he does well. I know what his road record has been."

Previously cordial and outgoing, Santana rarely discusses his pitching between starts now. When he does talk, he says he is trying as hard as ever and putting forth his best effort. But after getting torched by the Yankees a week ago Sunday to the tune of nine earned runs in three-plus innings, he owned up to some issues.

"I need to get ahead and throw strikes," Santana said. "It's not easy when every time you are behind in the count. You have to make adjustments and they are waiting for a fastball because I'm behind."

Scioscia has said Santana needs to attack hitters from the first pitch.

Stoneman wants the right-hander to put all outside distractions aside.

"As long as he's focused on winning and doing what he has to do -- spotting his pitches, throwing good stuff and putting the ball in the strike zone where he needs to put it -- that's all you can ask," Stoneman said. "A guy with his arm, if he's putting the pitches where he wants to, he's going to have success because he has real good stuff."

And if Santana doesn't show that good stuff soon, perhaps Joe Saunders gets a regular spot in the rotation eight months earlier than expected.

"I don't think you're ever going to put a date on it to say a guy has to pitch here, he has one more start, two more starts, five more starts; you're not putting a timetable on it," Scioscia said. "We need production and we're going to look to Ervin to give it to us. Obviously with any player, if there are options that come up that will make you a better team, you consider them at that time."

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MONDAY

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Angels (Santana 5-10, 5.97 ERA) vs. Tampa Bay (Shields 7-5, 3.98), 4:10 p.m., Tropicana Field. TV: FSN.

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Photo:

Angels starter Ervin Santana is 1-8 away from home with an 8.59 ERA this season.

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Imagess

Box:

THE TWO FACES OF ERVIN SANTANA