Santiago more aggressive in scoreless outing

CLEVELAND — When the Twins traded for left-hander Hector Santiago at the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline, they looked at it as an upgrade to their rotation, given his history.

Santiago came over with a career 3.68 ERA and a 4.25 ERA on the year with the Angels, but the immediate results weren’t pretty, as he went 0-4 with a 10.89 ERA in his first four starts with Minnesota. But after an extra three days of rest for Santiago, who admitted he was dealing with a bruised left thumb, he looked like his old self against the Indians on Monday. It ended in another hard-luck, 1-0 loss in 10 innings to extend Minnesota’s losing streak to 11 games, but Santiago tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings, scattering three hits and four walks.

“I think I pitched smart today in a sense that I didn’t give in to certain guys and made pitches when I needed to in big situations,” Santiago said. “So this is what I want to do and what I know I can do. It’s been rough the last couple weeks, but hopefully we’re on the right road now.”

Santiago blamed his struggles on a change in mentality and mechanics after changing teams, as he focused too much on avoiding walks …

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