Pitcher Ervin Santana was demoted Wednesday to the minor leagues by the Los Angeles Angels.

Santana, 24, suffered his fifth straight loss the night before in an 8-3 setback at Tampa Bay.

Ervin Santana was demoted to the minor leagues on Wednesday.
(Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

The struggling right-hander was shelled for seven runs on 14 hits in just six innings pitched.

"It was a move that became more and more apparent as Ervin was struggling from start to start and not moving forward," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Looking at certainly the last six or seven starts, he's been having trouble bringing some things to the game that he needs to."

Santana is 5-11 this season with a 6.22 earned-run average in 19 starts, permitting 23 home runs in 110 innings and 76 earned runs — the most in the American League.  

He went 16-8 last season and 12-8 as a rookie in 2005.

"It's tough to make adjustments at the major-league level," Scioscia said. "I don't think he's that far off.

"But that gap that's there is important and he needs to bridge it. I think Ervin's going to make the adjustments and get into the groove that he was and I expect him back here."

Santana is 33-27 lifetime with a 4.87 ERA, one complete game and one shutout in 75 MLB starts since signing a free-agent pact with the Angels on Sept. 2, 2000.

With files from the Associated Press