Santana will look to become the second straight Angels starter to move to 5-0 when the teams meet at Angel Stadium to break a first-place tie in the AL West.

The Angels (17-11) entered the season with doubt surrounding their starting rotation, as John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar - the team's top two starters from 2007 - remain on the disabled list.

But on Tuesday, Joe Saunders became the first Angels pitcher to go 5-0 in April since Frank Tanana in 1978, a feat Santana can equal with a win on the final day of the month Wednesday.

Santana (4-0, 2.97 ERA) didn't seem like a likely candidate to be in this position after going 7-14 with a 5.76 ERA last year, but the right-hander hasn't allowed more than three runs in a start this year, pitching at least six innings in each outing.

He has been especially dominant in Anaheim, where he is 26-9 with a 3.08 ERA in his career - as opposed to 13-21 with a 6.85 mark on the road. In his last start at home, he allowed just three hits and one run in eight innings against Seattle on April 19, striking out eight in a 4-1 win.

"This might have been the best stuff we've ever seen him have," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said after that game. "He was really loaded and just had great life on that fastball - with command. I think he's shown that his stuff can play up here in the big leagues in a big way."

He's already on his longest winning streak since he won seven straight decisions during the 2006 season, and he's dominated the A's in his career, going 7-1 with a 1.38 ERA in 10 appearances - allowing just one run in his last 23 1-3 innings against them.

Santana will try to put the Angels back into sole possession of first place in the division. The A's (17-11) had briefly taken over that spot with a 14-2 win in the opener of the series on Monday, but Saunders gave up four hits in eight innings in a 2-0 win on Tuesday.

After totaling 16 hits in the first game, the A's managed just four singles on Tuesday, getting blanked for the first time since April 2. They had won eight of 10 before Tuesday, but they dropped five of their last seven to the Angels last season.

"It does seem like every time we play them, it's a close game," A's manager Bob Geren told his team's official Web site. "They keep coming at you."

Geren's team will counter with Dana Eveland (3-1, 2.48). The left-hander, acquired as part of the Dan Haren trade with Arizona, has won his last two starts, but has failed to get out of the sixth inning each time. Still, he's allowed only 23 hits and eight earned runs in 29 innings this year.

Eveland has never faced the Angels.

The teams close the four-game series on Thursday, then don't meet again until June 6.