Santana hopes to come back strong

Los Angeles (42-34) vs. Baltimore (35-43), 7:05 p.m. PT

Quinn Roberts / MLB.com

ANAHEIM -- After much back and forth on the health of his right triceps, Ervin Santana will return to the Angels' rotation on Friday against the Orioles.

Making his first appearance since June 11 against the Rays, Santana will take on the Orioles. In seven career starts against Baltimore, he is 2-2 with a 4.60 ERA.

Santana threw 45 pitches on Sunday night in a tuneup against Minor Leaguers in Arizona to assure the Angels that he was ready to rejoin the rotation.

"I don't think it is going to come down to one start to see where he is," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He has shown enough as far as his stuff if he can locate and pitch like he did in Detroit and Seattle."

In both of those starts, Santana pitched superbly, giving up one earned run in 6 2/3 innings against the Mariners on May 20th and one earned run against the Tigers in 8 2/3 innings on June 5.

Yet, as much as Santana has succeeded this season, he has struggled. On May 25 against the White Sox, Santana gave up seven earned runs in one inning pitched and on June 11 against the Rays he gave up six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched.

In six starts this season, he is 1-3 with a 7.47 ERA in 31 1/3 innings pitched.

"Some starts this year have been a little frustrating," Santana said earlier this season. "When the velocity on my fastball was skipping around, I knew something wasn't right."

Expectations for Santana's return are high after a 2008 season in which he was selected to his first All-Star Game and had a 16-7 record with a 3.49 ERA.

Before his most recent injury, Santana sat out the first six weeks of the season with an elbow ligament sprain.

While his velocity may not be what it was a year ago, Scioscia believes Santana can win games at the velocity he is throwing.