Angels Send Yanks To The Showers
While the Yankees beat up on most of the American League, the Anaheim Angels are the lone exception.
Garrett Anderson tied the score with a two-run homer in the seventh and Gary DiSarcina hit a go-ahead, two-run double later in the inning to lead the Angels over New York 7-3 Monday night.
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"They have an aggressive ballclub," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "They're playing well now. They have some confidence. In fact, they're playing better on the road (35-26) than they are at home (37-33)."
Anaheim, which could play the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs, holds a 4-3 advantage over New York this year -- the only team the Yankees don't lead in the season series. The Angels, who have won eight of 11, maintained their 21/2-game lead over second-place Texas in the AL West.
"This was a big game for us," Angels manager Terry Collins said.
In the opener of a five-game series -- the makeup of a game postponed last April when a 500-pound, steel-and-concrete joint crashed from Yankee Stadium's upper deck -- the loudest noise came from Anderson. His 13th homer tied it at 2 after Tim Salmon's leadoff double in the seventh against Andy Pettitte (14-8).
"I don't think you can focus on one particular series when you have 27 games or so to go," The Angels are the only team who are up on the Yankees in a season series. (AP)
Troy Glaus then singled, Phil Nevin doubled off the glove of third baseman Scott Brosius and DiSarcina's double put Anaheim ahead 4-2.
DiSarcina tagged on a deep flyout, Randy Velarde walked and Darin Erstad beat out an infield hit with two outs for a 5-2 lead. Erstad and Orlando Palmeiro added RBI singles in the ninth off Mike Buddie.
"They got one hook up and they got one cutter up, and they took advantage of it," Yankees catcher Joe Girardi said, referring to Pettitte's pitches to Anderson and DiSarcina.
New York (94-34), trying to become the first team to win 100 games before September, has lost consecutive games twice within six days after not losing back-to-back games for a month.
It was just the 10th loss in 58 home games for the Yankees, who must go 23-11 or better to break the record of 116 wins set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs.
New York, which has lost four of six, has allowed 28 runs in three games, including a 12-10 loss at Texas on Sunday night.
"We don't like to lose, whether it's one in a row or four out of six," Torre said. "I'm not concerned, but you don't like to lose."
Jack McDowell(3-2) won his second straight start since coming off the disabled list. McDowell, who had been sidelined by pain in his right elbow, allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings. He pitched seven shutout innings in a 2-0 win over Detroit last Wednesday.
"I haven't been walking myself into trouble," McDowell said. "I used to try to throw every pitch as hard as I could, and sometimes you wind up putting men on base."
New York took a 2-0 lead in the fifth when Brosius hit an RBI double and scored on Joe Girardi's single. For most of the night, it appeared the lead would hold up.
But Pettitte, who allowed just three hits until the seventh, got hit hard in that inning. He wound up allowing five runs and nine hits ieight innings, and has won just twice in his last seven starts.
"It seems like this year the big inning is really killing me," he said.
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