Santana by the numbers

ANAHEIM, Calif. – The Red Sox did just enough to survive John Lackey in Game 1. Now, can they beat a 25-year-old fireballer who this season compiled more strikeouts than Roy Halladay, a better ERA than James Shields, and the same amount of wins as Jon Lester?

Lackey may be Los Angels’ Josh Beckett – a strapping Texan who dealt with some injuries and had a good year, but somewhat below his usual standard. And Ervin Santana, the man the Red Sox will face tonight, might be Los Angeles’ Jon Lester – a young workhorse who, in the shadow of vaunted teammates, is overlooked as one of the game’s very pitchers.

Santana, in his fourth full season, posted numbers comparable with anyone in the American League – better, even, than Lackey. Santana earned a quality start in 22 of his 32 starts; presumptive Cy Young winner Cliff Lee had 23 quality starts. He struck out 214 hitters, more than everyone but A.J. Burnett. He threw 219 innings, more than everyone but Halladay, Lee, and Burnett.

The Red Sox missed Santana’s emergence this season; he never faced them this year. In four career starts against Boston, Santana is 1-2, having allowed 14 runs in 22 innings while striking out 18. The last time Santana pitched against the Red Sox was Game 1 of last season’s ALDS, when Santana pitched two innings of relief. He retired all six batters he faced, using only 22 pitches for two innings.

(Aside: Before 2003, Santana went by his birth name, which is Johan, but about that time, the Johan Santana was dominating for the Twins. Santana changed his name to avoid confusion and offered a terrific explanation: “I just came up with Ervin," Santana said. "Ervin Santana, that sounds good.”

Santana’s nickname, according to his Wikipedia page, is “El Meneo,” which in English means the “The Shaker.” He’s so-called because of the way his slender body sways when he walks.)

Daisuke Matsuzaka versus the Angels presents a fascinating match-up: statistically the pickiest pitcher in the league (4.06 pitchers per batter; Jered Weaver was highest at 4.08) against the statistically most free-swinging team in the majors (3.65 pitches per plate appearance.) Will that help Matsuzaka plow through innings? Or it will force the Angels to be more patient?

(Also, there’s no doubting that Matsuzaka can be a nibbler, but batters also swung and missed 24.4 percent of his pitches, the fifth highest rate in the American League. So it’s fair to point out that some of his high pitch count owes to the fact that his stuff can be untouchable.)

Santana-Matsuzaka would make a compelling, blockbuster match-up for a Game 1, let alone Game 2. Who has the advantage?