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Santana looks to put struggles in the past

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By Marty Noble and Tim Britton / MLB.com

06/20/09 1:31 AM ET

NEW YORK -- The Mets will look to reverse two trends when they take on the Rays on Saturday.

First, they will try to record consecutive wins for just the second time since May 29. Second, Johan Santana hopes to rebound from a string of subpar performances.

The game will be broadcast nationally on FOX, with Thom Brennaman, Tim McCarver and Ken Rosenthal calling the action.

Santana is coming off his worst performance, having surrendered a career-high nine earned runs in three-plus innings on Sunday at Yankee Stadium. To put that into perspective, he did not allow his ninth earned run of the season until May 22.

It's not as though the Yankees were in a groove offensively; they scored just seven runs over a three-game series against the Nationals -- the team with the highest ERA in the Majors.

The bigger concern is that Santana's Sunday struggles were an aggravation of previous concerns.

During the first six weeks of the season, Santana was a hard-luck 4-2, with both losses coming in games in which he did not allow an earned run. His ERA stood at 0.78.

Since then he's been a good-luck 4-2. He got his eighth win on June 9, against the Phillies, despite allowing four home runs (tying a career high) and five earned runs in seven-plus innings. In his past six starts combined, the ace has allowed 26 earned runs in 36 innings -- for a 6.50 ERA.

His woes, combined with decreased velocity against the Yankees, sparked rumors that he was injured. Those rumors were fueled by former Mets' pitching coach Rick Peterson, who suggested that Santana's surgically repaired knee was bothering him.

Current pitching coach Dan Warthen attributed the problem more to a blister and split nail on Santana's left middle finger, which caused the pitcher to alter his grip on the ball.

Manager Jerry Manuel, meanwhile, is unconcerned.

"He's good. He should be real good," Manuel said. "He hit a little bump in the road. As competitive as he is, you know those types of guys are going to figure things out.

"I really expect a good outing from him."

Manuel's counterpart across the diamond feels the same way.

"I know Santana had a rough start a couple days ago, but that means nothing," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "This guy is that good. I've seen him plenty enough in the American League to know that."

The Mets, meanwhile, will try to build off Friday's victory and win a series for just the second time in June. The team has lost three straight sets, to the Phillies, Yankees and Orioles.

Pitching matchup
NYM: LHP Johan Santana (8-4, 3.29 ERA)
The worst start of Santana's career came at a least opportune time, with the Mets attempting to beat the Yankees on Sunday. Instead he came away beaten after allowing a career-high nine earned runs in three innings. He now has a 4-2 record and 6.50 ERA in his six most recent starts, having won four of his first six decisions and producing a 0.78 ERA in his first seven. The schedule does no favors for Santana. In his most recent start against the Rays, in 2007, he allowed four runs in seven innings. He has a 2-1 record and 3.00 ERA in three starts against them, beginning in 2006. Carlos Pena has hit a double and two home runs, and has a .292 average in 24 career at-bats against him. Left-handed hitters are batting .253 with six home runs in 99 at-bats against Santana.

TB: RHP James Shields (5-5, 3.52 ERA)
Shields didn't have his best stuff against the Nationals on Sunday, but he showed the grit that earned him the No. 1 starter's job by allowing three runs over 7 1/3 innings in a no-decision. He has earned a reputation as a pitcher who will do whatever is necessary to pitch into the seventh or eighth inning, which is evidenced by two consecutive seasons with 215 innings pitched. Shields will be making his first career start against the Mets. He is 13-19 with a 4.73 ERA in 47 career road starts, including six starts this season in which he had produced a 1-3 record and 4.15 ERA.

Tidbits
The Mets claimed a left-handed reliever off waivers on Friday, taking 26-year-old Arturo Lopez from the Padres and assigning him to Triple-A Buffalo. Lopez appeared in four games with the Padres, allowing five earned runs in 2 1/3 innings for an ERA of 19.29. He produced a 1-0 record and 3.77 ERA in 20 games and 31 innings with the Padres' Portland team in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. ... General manager Omar Minaya said that the Mets hope to have outfielder Angel Pagan back in two weeks, and that Oliver Perez and John Maine are expected to pitch in simulated game conditions or in an extended spring training game on Tuesday. Minaya said that Maine does not have a pinched nerve in his shoulder, as Guy Conti, the club's rehab coordinator, suggested last week. Maine had told teammates he had experienced two areas of pain.

This date in Mets history -- June 20: When the 1962 Mets were swept in a doubleheader by the Braves at the Polo Grounds, their winning percentage fell 30 losses lower than .500 after merely 64 games. ... The Mets beat Don Drysdale in 1965, scoring as many runs in nine innings as they had in three previous games (25 1/3 innings) that season. The 3-2 victory at Dodger Stadium in the second game of a doubleheader -- Sandy Koufax won the first game -- put the Mets' record against Drysdale at 2-16. They still were two months removed from beating Koufax for the first time. His record against them on June 20 that year was 12-0.

One of the most unforgettable moments in Mets history happened 27 years ago after the team returned to Shea Stadium following a flight from St. Louis. Manager George Bamberger confronted Craig Swan outside the team bus after the pitcher had complained throughout the long -- it was delayed for hours -- trip home. The Mets flew commercial flights then, though some teams had begun flying charters.

When Swan challenged Bamberger, coach Frank Howard -- all 6-foot-8 and 315 pounds of him -- appeared from nowhere and, with one hand grasping Swan by the knot of his necktie, hoisted the pitcher and pinned him against the bus. When Howard, nicknamed "Hondo," brought Swan back to earth 20 seconds later, only remnants of Swan's shirt and anger remained. Stunned by Howard's demonstration of strength, catcher John Stearns called Howard "Hondopolis," because "he's as big as a city."

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On the Internet
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•  Official game notes

On television
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On radio
• WFAN 660, WADO 1280 (Español)

Up next
• Sunday: Mets (Mike Pelfrey, 5-2, 4.56) vs. Rays (Jeff Niemann, 6-4, 4.21), 1:10 p.m. ET
• Monday: Mets (Tim Redding, 0-2, 6.27) vs. Cardinals (Todd Wellemeyer, 6-6, 5.36), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Mets (Livan Hernandez, 5-1, 4.18) vs. Cardinals (Joel Pineiro 5-8, 3.76), 7:10 p.m. ET

Marty Noble is a reporter for MLB.com. Tim Britton is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.