THE BAD NEWS forAmerican League hitters: After a 6--6 start, Twins ace and reigning AL Cy YoungAward winner Johan Santana has won four straight starts and has a 1.29 ERAsince June 19. The worse news: Santana is just getting to his favorite time ofyear. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2004, Santana, while effectivebefore the All-Star break, has been far and away the game's most dominantsecond-half pitcher. Here's a breakdown of Santana's second-half performance inseveral major pitching categories (as well as where he ranks in the firsthalf).
[The followingdescriptive text appears within a diagram]
Second-half pitching Leaders, 2004-07
SANTANA: 32 (First-Half Rank: T9)
ROY OSWALT: 29
JAKE WESTBROOK:25
WinningPercentage*
SANTANA: .914(First-Half Rank: T29)
CHRIS CARPENTER:.786
OSWALT: .744
Opponents' BattingAverage†
SANTANA: .186(First-Half Rank: 7)
ROGER CLEMENS:.216
RANDY JOHNSON:.219
CARLOS ZAMBRANO:.219
ERA†
SANTANA: 1.78(First-Half Rank: T16)
CLEMENS: 2.69
JAKE PEAVY:2.79
*minimum 20decisions
†minimum 250innings pitched
PHOTO
HEINZ KLUETMEIR (SANTANA)
CHART
SLIM FILMS (CHART)
