(Best E Casino) - Ervin Santana will attempt to extend a string of quality starts when he takes the ball for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in tonight's finale of a three-game series with the American League West-rival Oakland Athletics from Angel Stadium.

Santana has put together a nice turnaround after a disastrous 2007 campaign in which the talented right-hander went a disappointing 7-14 with a 5.28 earned run average and was banished to the minors for part of the year. He's been terrific through five starts this month, however, having worked six innings and allowed three runs or less in each outing while compiling a 4-0 record.

The 25-year-old, who won 16 games for the Angels during a breakthrough 2006 season, has won three consecutive starts and is coming off a solid 6 1/3- inning stint at Detroit on Saturday. Santana surrendered three runs and six hits to help Anaheim to a 4-3 triumph.

Santana has also enjoyed great success when facing Oakland, as he's posted a stellar 7-1 record with a 1.38 ERA in 10 appearances (9 starts) against the Athletics. The native Dominican has been customarily tough to beat at Angel Stadium as well, having amassed a 26-9 record and a 3.08 ERA over the course of his career.

He'll try to duplicate an excellent mound effort from teammate Joe Saunders on Tuesday. The young left-hander held the A's to four hits through eight shutout innings as the Angels evened this series with a 2-0 victory.

Saunders (5-0) struck out five and walked just one to lower his season ERA to 2.08. Francisco Rodriguez came on in the ninth for Anaheim and earned his 11th save by preserving the shutout.

Greg Smith (2-1) pitched well in a losing cause for Oakland, with the rookie surrendering just two runs and three hits in his first career complete game.

Both Anaheim runs came during the third inning, with Brandon Wood scoring on a Smith wild pitch and Gary Matthews bringing home Chone Figgins from third with a groundout.

Tuesday's win was the Angels' fifth in seven games and drew the club even with the surprising A's for first place in the AL West. Oakland, which lost for just the third time in its last 11 outings, defeated Los Angeles by a 14-2 count on Monday.

The Athletics will send out another tough young lefty tonight in Dana Eveland, who improved to 3-1 on the young season by defeating divisional foe Seattle Saturday at Safeco Field. Eveland was touched for three runs before exiting after 5 1/3 innings during that game, but the Oakland bullpen held the Mariners scoreless the rest of the way to seal a 4-3 victory.

Eveland, acquired from Arizona during the offseason as part of the deal that sent All-Star pitcher Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks, has yielded one run or less in three of his five 2008 starts and brings an excellent 2.48 ERA into tonight's tilt. He has never previously faced the Angels.

Oakland won 10 of its 19 meetings with the Angels in 2007, with the teams splitting 10 encounters in Anaheim a year ago.