Ervin Santana pitched another gem but took the loss as the Twins couldn’t solve Angels pitching in a 2-1 loss at Target Field Wednesday night.
For Santana, it was his MLB-leading fourth complete game of the season. He has more complete games by himself than any other team’s starting pitchers have combined and he hits the break (the Twins still have one more series to play) at 10-6 with a 2.99 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
He’s third in the AL in wins, second in innings (120.1), and fifth in ERA and WHIP.
What’s most impressive about Santana’s season long numbers is that they’re as low as they are despite a rough month of June. In five June starts he gave up five runs or more four times and finished the month with a 6.03 ERA.
Diehard Twins fans might be shocked to see that Santana’s first half is one of the best first halves a Twins starter has had since the turn of the century. But in all honesty, there hasn’t been much to compete against. He’s just the fifth Twins starter to make the All-Star Game since 2000, and the first since 2007.
- Eric Milton, 2001
- Joe Mays, 2001
- Johan Santana, 2005
- Francisco Liriano, 2006
- Johan Santana, 2006
- Johan Santana, 2007
- Ervin Santana, 2017
Johan Santana in 2007 was 10-6 with a 2.75 ERA at the break. A year earlier Francisco Liriano burst onto the scene and was named an All-Star with a 1.99 ERA as a reliever turned starter.
No team from the AL Central won Wednesday, so Minnesota remains tied (43-41) with the Royals for second place in the division. Cleveland is in front by 1.5 games.
