Angels’ Peter Bourjos improves batting but remains unsatisfied

Everybody knew Peter Bourjos could run and catch. The question was could he hit?

The answer two months into the season was a resounding no. After batting just .176 in May, Bourjos had more strikeouts (59) than hits (47).

But he’s been a different player since.

Dating to a run-scoring double against the Mariners on June 14, Bourjos has hit .338 and cut his strikeout rate by about a third.

Not coincidentally, the Angels are a baseball-best 26-12 over that span.

“I feel like I keep getting better and improving,” says Bourjos, widely acknowledged as one of the game’s best defensive center fielders. “I know I kind of struggled the first couple of weeks of the season. And it’s all about making adjustments and trying to get better.

“I feel like I’ve done that.”

Bourjos stumbled a bit earlier this month, missing 11 games with right-hamstring tightness, then going hitless in his first four games back.

But the first two-double game of his career Thursday gave him four hits — three for extra bases — in his last eight at-bats, lifting his season average to .268. That’s hardly left him satisfied, though.

“There are still a lot of things I want to work on [to] become a complete player,” said Bourjos, who played Thursday sporting a nasty bruise after taking a throw off his chin in Cleveland. “I want to keep getting better. Work on cutting down the strikeouts and walk more. And drive the ball the other way.

“If I can do that, I’ll be satisfied.”

Muted celebration

Ervin Santana said he didn’t do anything special to celebrate his no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians.

“Just relaxed,” he said. “I talked to my family, in the Dominican.”

And when he woke up Thursday in Detroit, aside from seeing himself repeatedly in the TV highlights, he said nothing had changed.

“For me, everything is the same,” he said. “For me it was just another win.”

Catching a reward

Santana’s no-hitter could wind up paying dividends in terms of extra playing time for catcher Bobby Wilson, though.

Wednesday’s game was just the 10th start of the year for Wilson, yet in his last two he’s caught a no-hitter and guided rookie right-hander Tyler Chatwood through perhaps his strongest outing of the season.

After sitting for most of the summer behind both regular starter Jeff Mathis and rookie Hank Conger, who was recently optioned to the minors, Wilson now has to work himself into shape to play on a consistent basis.

“There’s definitely a stamina issue,” Manager Mike Scioscia said of Wilson, whom he started just seven times in the Angels’ first 95 games. “Is Bobby going to do out there and bring that package seven days a week on the defensive end? I don’t know. That’s part of the challenge … of catching every day.

“Bobby’s working his way into his sea legs right now.”

kevin.baxter@latimes.com