Ervin Santana

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - An extensive video review of Ervin Santana's shoddy start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night revealed plenty of hanging breaking balls and poorly placed fastballs, too many hitter's counts and some questionable pitch sequences. It did not reveal that Santana, who was tagged for a career-high four home runs and has given up a major league-high 10 homers in 23 2/3 innings of four starts this season, is tipping his pitches. “We're pretty confident that's not the case - we didn't see anything that stood out,” pitching coach Mike Butcher said.

The first major repercussion from the Angels' disappointing 16-21 start occurred Tuesday night when the team announced that hitting coach Mickey Hatcher had been fired. He will be replaced by Jim Eppard, hitting coach at triple-A Salt Lake City. Hatcher's departure, announced after a 4-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday afternoon, ends a 13-year run with the Angels and an even longer relationship with Manager Mike Scioscia. The two played together with the Dodgers, and Hatcher, 57, served as Scioscia's hitting instructor when Scioscia managed the Dodgers' minor league team in Albuquerque in 1999.

After losing staff ace John Lackey to free agency over the winter, the Angels need a healthy Ervin Santana to step up this season. So no one was laughing when the former All-Star banged his valuable right elbow on a piece of furniture a few days ago. "Some people call it the funny bone," pitching coach Mike Butcher said. "It's just not that funny." So Santana, who made two trips to the disabled list because of elbow and forearm problems last year, was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday and won't pitch again until Sunday.

MINNEAPOLIS — It was the third inning, and it was only one run, but Ervin Santana reacted in the dugout as if it was the turning point of a playoff game, thrusting both fists sharply into the air after Mike Trout's run-scoring double clanged off the left-center field wall in Target Field. The Angels right-hander, for the first time in seven starts this season, had a lead. "I was very excited," Santana said after throwing 71/3 strong innings to lead the Angels to a 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday night.

On the day Angels pitchers and catchers held their first spring-training workout, Ervin Santana reported to camp a wealthy young man, agreeing to terms Saturday on a four-year, $30-million deal. The contract includes a $13-million option for 2013 that can be bought out for $1 million. If the option is exercised, the Angels would secure one of their top young pitchers through all three of his arbitration years and his first two years of free agency.

CLEVELAND -- A getaway day afternoon game in Progressive Field could be just what Ervin Santana needs to turn his dismal season around. It was in Cleveland in a series finale last July 27 that the Angels right-hander threw the eighth no-hitter in franchise history and first since Mike Witt's perfect game in 1984. “I'm not really thinking about that,” Santana said. “It feels like a regular game for me. That's how I'm taking it.” Could a different approach really hurt Santana, though?

With the window for signing international players approaching rapidly, the Angels abruptly fired their longtime director of international scouting this week. "I was dumbfounded," Clay Daniel said Thursday. Daniel joined the Angels nine years ago, and tonight's probable starting lineup will include three of his signees -- pitcher Ervin Santana, first baseman Kendry Morales and shortstop Erick Aybar. His department also signed relievers Jose Arredondo, Rafael Rodriguez and Rich Thompson.

One day after Ervin Santana was rocked for seven runs and nine hits in one inning of a 17-3 loss to the White Sox, Manager Mike Scioscia and the Angels pitcher maintained Santana's elbow was OK. Santana was making his third start after missing the first six weeks of the season because of an elbow ligament sprain. His fastball hovered in the 92-mph range, down from its usual 95-96 mph, and his off-speed pitches were not sharp.

It all looked so promising for Ervin Santana of the Angels in the first three innings Wednesday night, when the right-hander's fastball hit 95 mph and his slider had so much bite it was producing swings and misses on balls in the dirt. Then in the fourth inning, his fastball lost a little steam, and his breaking ball flattened out. A walk to Joe Mauer and a hanging slider that Justin Morneau crushed for a two-run home run to deep right-center field wiped out Santana's shutout. J.J. Hardy lined a slider over the left-field wall to open the fifth inning, Nick Punto tripled and scored on Denard Span's sacrifice fly, and the Minnesota Twins went on to a 4-2 victory in Angel Stadium.

Two pitchers who might well decide the fortunes of the Angels' rotation and bullpen this season reported to spring training Wednesday in good spirits and, apparently, in good health. Ervin Santana , who struggled for most of 2009 because of an elbow sprain that sapped him of his normal velocity and command, said his arm feels "very, very good" after skipping winter ball in his native Dominican Republic. And veteran reliever Scot Shields arrived at Tempe Diablo Stadium with his usual beginning-of-camp gusto, the left-knee surgery that sidelined the right-hander for most of 2009 barely registering a blip on his radar.

The early weeks of a Major League Baseball season are full of flops — good players off to bad starts. Deputy Sports Editor Mike Hiserman has put together All-Star teams of them: (Statistics through Friday's games) American League Catcher: Russell Martin, New York Yankees Hitting .172 with two HRs, six RBIs. First base: Albert Pujols, Angels Hitting .194 with as many HRs (or less) as you. Second base: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees Hitting .255 with one HR, four RBIs.

As part of their normal routine, the Angels held a hitters' meeting Monday before opening a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins. Hitting coach Mickey Hatcher said he didn't do much talking. Instead, Albert Pujols spoke of enduring team losing streaks and cold hitting spells and still winning a World Series. Someone else spoke about how the team should continue an approach that a day earlier produced more sharply hit balls, but not any runs. "The positive things that are being said … this clubhouse is not separating, it's bonding more than ever," Hatcher said.

CLEVELAND -- A getaway day afternoon game in Progressive Field could be just what Ervin Santana needs to turn his dismal season around. It was in Cleveland in a series finale last July 27 that the Angels right-hander threw the eighth no-hitter in franchise history and first since Mike Witt's perfect game in 1984. “I'm not really thinking about that,” Santana said. “It feels like a regular game for me. That's how I'm taking it.” Could a different approach really hurt Santana, though?

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - An extensive video review of Ervin Santana's shoddy start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night revealed plenty of hanging breaking balls and poorly placed fastballs, too many hitter's counts and some questionable pitch sequences. It did not reveal that Santana, who was tagged for a career-high four home runs and has given up a major league-high 10 homers in 23 2/3 innings of four starts this season, is tipping his pitches. “We're pretty confident that's not the case - we didn't see anything that stood out,” pitching coach Mike Butcher said.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The more the offense stagnates, the more fans clamor for Mike Trout , the dynamic outfield prospect who is tearing it up at triple-A Salt Lake, to be called up and inserted into the lineup. But there was no indication from Manager Mike Scioscia on Wednesday that the Angels are considering such a move at this time. "I don't believe anything is imminent, but when you play at the level Mike is playing at now, you become more of a focal point of fans, the media and the organization," Scioscia said.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There was no marine layer in Tropicana Field on Tuesday night, no heavy air to turn would-be home runs into warning-track fly balls. Left-hander David Price didn't need it; he threw his second career shutout, a 119-pitch, five-hit gem with six strikeouts to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 5-0 victory over the Angels. Right-hander Ervin Santana could have used it, though a thick fog and gale-force winds blowing in from right field may not have kept two Rays bombs in the park.

VS. NEW YORK YANKEES When : 7. Where : Angel Stadium. On the air : TV: FS West. Radio: 830, 980, 1330. Pitchers : Ervin Santana vs. Chad Gaudin. Update : Santana has not recorded a victory since defeating Toronto on Aug. 22, but the right-hander has posted a 3.41 earned-run average over his last five starts. He has also given up three earned runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts, enhancing his chances of making the Angels' playoff rotation.

  ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Ervin Santana gave up a career-high four home runs - solo shots to Desmond Jennings, Luke Scott, B.J. Upton and Carlos Pena - in the Angels' 5-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night. The Angels right-hander, who fell to 0-4 after four starts, gave up two homers in each of his first three starts and has been tagged for 10 homers this season, the most in the major leagues. Santana became the first Angels pitcher since Don Sutton in 1986 to give up multiple home runs in his first four starts.

Writers from around Tribune Co. discuss which Major League Baseball teams have been the most surprising in the first few weeks of the season. Check back throughout the day for more responses and join the conversation with a comment of your own. Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times The Chicago White Sox might be the biggest surprise, since management appears to vacillate between keeping an old team together and rebuilding, which usually ensures...