NEW YORK — Vladimir Guerrero asked Angels coach Dino Ebel to pitch to him in Monday night's home run derby contest as part of the All-Star festivities.

There was another candidate in the clubhouse.

Angels right-hander Ervin Santana served up two more long balls Sunday afternoon as the New York Yankees hit three three-run home runs in a 12-0 pounding of the Angels.

The Angels reached the All-Star break having lost eight of their past 12 games and four of their past six, including Bronx bombings bookending the final weekend. Counting Friday's 14-9 loss, the Angels were outscored 27-11 in the three-game series at Yankee Stadium and saw their lead in the AL West shrink to 2 games, the smallest it has been since May 16.

"There are some parts of our game that haven't been on the field as much as we need them the past week," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "But all in all, the model we've been working from the last two months is sound, and we feel comfortable and confident with it.

"We've hit a rough stretch. There's no sugar-coating it, and we're not playing well."

The recent struggles took the edge off one of the best first halves in franchise history. The Angels reached the break with a 53-35 record (tied with Boston for the most victories in the majors). The Angels have had more victories at the break just once (55 in 1979) and had never had the most victories in the majors at this point before.

But they can't feel "comfortable and confident" about the state of their starting rotation — Santana and Bartolo Colon, in particular. In their past 18 games (nine victories, nine losses), the Angels' starters have a 6.07 ERA. In the current 12-game slump, it is 6.22.

Colon and Santana have been hit the hardest. Colon was chased in the third inning of Friday's loss and is 1-4 with a 9.07 ERA in his past eight starts. Santana is 5-10 for the season. "We have a lot of faith in Ervin and what he's done the last couple years. His arm is sound. He feels good. The ball is coming out of his hand better — but the results are obviously 180 degrees from what we need.

"Our rotation is important to us. ... We've tried a lot of different things with Ervin, trying to find one thing to click to where he's making consistent pitches."

The Angels have tried tough-love and a group intervention on Santana as well as adjustments in his pregame preparation. Santana said he has spent time studying video to see if he is tipping his pitches. Nothing has worked. He retired the first batter Sunday then gave up three consecutive singles and a long home run to Hideki Matsui.

After Santana walked the next batter, Scioscia paid a visit to the mound.

"I told him he needed to get in the (strike) zone earlier and get after it," Scioscia said. "I told him there was a long way to go. I wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt and could turn the ball loose. I wanted him to understand the game wasn't over in the first inning."

It wasn't — that happened in the Yankees' six-run fourth inning.

Santana retired eight consecutive batters after Scioscia's visit but hit Jorge Posada with a breaking ball to start the fourth. Bobby Abreu followed with a single and then Robinson Cano hit the right-field foul pole for the Yankees' second three-run home run.

A double off the right-field wall and a walk ended Santana's day.

"Today it (his control) was not that good," Santana said. "I was up. If you can't command your fastball or slider, you're going to get beat up.

"I just have to take a deep breath. ... Nobody's perfect. I'm just trying to do my best. If I keep pitching, I know I'm going to turn it around in the second half."

No one seems to know how. Santana's first start in the second half is scheduled for July 17 in Tampa — not the best choice. With Sunday's loss, Santana is now 1-8 with an 8.59 ERA on the road this season. Seventeen of the 23 home runs he has allowed have come on the road.

Angels catcher Jose Molina was at a loss to explain Santana's poor performance this season.

"I can't. There's not much to say. I tried everything," he said. "He's the one now who has to step up and do his job. We can try to come up with things to help him. But he's the one who has to work through this and get the job done."