Hector Santiago beats up Gatorade jug, showers in uniform after rough start

Hector Santiago beats up Gatorade jug, showers in uniform after rough start

Putting a dreadful performance or series of disappointing games out of mind is often times the most difficult part of being a professional athlete. With that in mind, though, perhaps Hector Santiago of the Los Angeles Angels has created a new method for washing off the stink and starting over with a clean slate mentally.

After lasting only two innings in his previous outing against Houston — in which he allowed three runs and walked five — Santiago followed up with an even worse outing in Friday's 12-3 loss to Texas. In one inning plus, Santiago was torched for seven runs (six earned) on seven hits.

Needless to say, the frustration was building, and on Friday he first elected to vent it on a helpless Gatorade jug in the dugout. That's actually a tried and true method, but not an advised one. It's just as likely to cause injury as it is to fuel a turnaround, and that's especially true when those actions result in hitting coach Don Baylor getting soaked.

Oops.

After surviving that potential run-in, it's reported that Santiago immediately ran to the showers and tried something, well, different.

Apparently Santiago spared a portion of his beard, so it won't be a completely new look. That said, there's no doubt what his unique postgame antics symbolize to him on a personal level.

On a professional level, manager Mike Scioscia's only worry is how he'll put his team in the best position to win games. Sure, they've already locked up the division, but with Garrett Richards done for the season and Matt Shoemaker currently ailing, he may be down to three starters, which includes an obviously downtrodden Santiago.

If Shoemaker can't return, Scioscia's hands are tied. However, if he can, it sounds like he still might be considering a three-man rotation, with either Santiago or C.J. Wilson on the outside looking in.

From the Orange County Register:

“That’s the first priority, really: the pitching side of it,” Manager Mike Scioscia said Friday. “You have to have that covered. There are several different variables we’re looking at, a lot of hypotheticals.”

In recent years, teams have typically used four first-round starters because only one off-day separates the first four games. But the Angels are lacking in starting pitching, extremely so. And so a three-man rotation, with ace Jered Weaver pitching on three days’ rest in a likely Game 4, has become a legitimate possibility.

“It’s always something you consider in a short series,” Scioscia said.

Spot starter Cory Rasmus would be an option to start a game as well, but the preference would probably be to hold him for long relief.

Bottom line, with a little more than a week left in the season, the Angels definitely need someone else to step up and give them confidence heading into October. But regardless of the set up they ultimately go with, there will obviously be a lot of pressure on Weaver to be an ace.

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Mark Townsend

is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!