Los Angeles (53-35) at Texas (46-43)

The Los Angeles Angels are sending three pitchers to the All-Star game for the first time. Ervin Santana was the most fortunate of that group to be given a spot.

Santana will try to win for only the second time in over a month Monday night when Los Angeles opens a four-game set against the high-scoring Texas Rangers.

The Angels (53-35) learned Sunday that Santana (9-3, 3.28 ERA), Joe Saunders - the only AL pitcher with 12 wins - and major league saves leader Francisco Rodriguez will represent them at the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium next Tuesday.

Santana, who struggled last season with a 7-14 record and 5.76 ERA, was picked for his first Midsummer Classic over Chicago’s Gavin Floyd, who has more wins and a lower ERA, and New York’s Mike Mussina, who has two more wins and whose team is the All-Star game host.

“Ervin threw at a very high level for us for two seasons before he struggled last year,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia told the team’s official Web site. “So we knew he had it in him. He went down last year to get his mechanics back to where they were.

“Since he’s got back into his mechanics, his velocity is back where it should be and his fastball-breaking ball combination is as good as anybody in the game today.”

Santana, though, has been a bit inconsistent lately and has won only once in five starts since June 2. He’s walked 14 batters in 32 innings during that span, but also has 39 strikeouts and is among the AL leaders this season with 106.

Of his last four starts, Santana has given up four runs or more in two of them but he’s allowed a total of two earned runs in the other two. The Los Angeles offense gave him just two runs to work with in three of those games.

The Angels have been hot at the plate lately, however, producing 32 runs while winning four of five. They hit .324 and scored 20 runs to take two of three from Toronto over the weekend, including 11 hits in winning Sunday’s series finale 7-1.

Santana is 5-4 with a 6.44 ERA in 11 starts versus the Rangers (46-43), but won his only start against them this year as he yielded three runs in seven innings of a 7-4 victory on April 14. Los Angeles swept that two-game set in Texas and is 3-2 in the season series.

The Rangers will be sending four position players to the All-Star game - outfielders Milton Bradley and Josh Hamilton, second baseman Ian Kinsler and shortstop Michael Young.

Texas leads the majors with 488 runs, and is coming off an 11-hit performance in an 11-10 win over Baltimore on Sunday to close a 4-2 road trip.

The Rangers now open a seven-game homestand, but they are only 21-18 there despite batting .299 and averaging an AL-best 6.0 runs.

Kinsler, hitting .373 at home, is looking to match his career-high 19-game hitting streak set from May 16-June 4. He has a .438 batting average during his current run.

The Rangers hope to have Young back in the lineup after a groin injury ruled him out Sunday. He’s 16-for-35 (.457) with five doubles, one homer and seven RBIs in his last eight games, and is 13-for-29 (.448) with two homers against Santana.

Texas gives the ball to Luis Mendoza (1-2, 4.64), who is looking to get his first win as a starter since September.

The second-year right-hander is 0-2 with a 6.91 ERA in four starts this season. He didn’t get a decision in his last game, giving up six runs - one earned - and four hits in 4 2-3 innings of Wednesday’s 18-7 loss at New York.

Mendoza made his only career start against the Angels on Sept. 26, allowing two runs and four hits in 4 2-3 innings in a 16-2 win.