By Lindsay Kramer | lkramer@syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. — Ervin Santana is only two seasons removed from pitching at an all-star level in the big leagues.

He might not be in range of that peak anymore, but he certainly looks close enough to it to get some outs for the New York Mets.

Santana kept pushing toward that goal in his third outing with Syracuse on Thursday night. In five innings against Pawtucket at NBT Bank Stadium, he allowed three earned runs, struck out two and gave up four hits. He didn’t get the decision in Syracuse’s 4-3 win over the PawSox.

In three starts since joining Syracuse, Santana has posted a 3.94 ERA with 11 strikeouts and 13 hits allowed in 16 innings.

“Everything is going in the right direction right now. I’ve got all my pitches working, and keep the ball down for the most part,” Santana said. “I just have to keep doing what I’m doing and everything will be fine. To me, it’s the same game. It’s just a different level. So that’s what I have on my mind, not trying to do anything different.”

Santana said he’s been most pleased with the way he’s honed his fastball location.

“I have good control, good command on my fastball down and away, down and in. So, it’s a big difference right now,” he said. “I guess it’s about practicing, bullpen sessions and all that.”

Santana, 36, was picked up by the Mets after he stumbled in an early-season trial with the White Sox. He got just three starts with Chicago, posting a 9.45 ERA before his release. That showing understandably created doubt as to whether the pitcher who was 16-8, 3.28 in an all-star season with the Twins in 2017 would ever return.

Santana followed that up with an injury-pocked season in 2018. A finger ailment limited him to just five starts, so Santana is battling the toll of inactivity as much as the challenge of age.