New York Yankees 2 — Los Angeles Angels 5
Yankees snap offensive skid but losing streak continues in tonight’s 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels.
Andy Pettitte took the mound to start this three-game series with the Angels. Entering tonight, second baseman Howie Kendrick was hitting 33-for-192 (.339) against the Yankees. That would increase in the first inning when Kendrick would hit a double with two on to bring one home and give the Angels an early one-run lead.
The Yankees would respond in the fourth inning. After two outs to start the inning, Robinson Cano would single and Vernon Wells would follow with a single of his own. Recently called up outfielder Thomas Neal would draw a walk and a rally was developing. David Adams would come up with an 0-for-13 skid and on a 2-1 pitch, Adams would end his skid and a 20-inning offensive slump with a single through the middle of the infield. This single would score two runs and give them a lead. Reid Brignac would walk to reload the bases but Austin Romine’s first pitch ground out ended the inning.
After receiving a slim lead, Pettitte would not respond well as a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt put runners in scoring position quickly. Chris Iannetta would hit a sacrifice fly that tied the game. With the current slump of nearly the entire Yankees lineup, losing the lead would be huge.
The Angels would take the lead in the sixth inning. Albert Pujols would lead off with a ground-rule double to right field. Mark Trumbo would hit a single to left field where former Angel, Vernon Wells defended. Wells, who made an outstanding throw in yesterday’s 18-inning loss, would do it again, throwing the slow-footed Pujols out at home trying to score on the Trumbo single. Trumbo advanced to second on the play at the plate so the Yankees chose to avoid the “Yankee Killer” Howie Kendrick with an intentional walk. A fly out would move Trumbo to third base and Chris Iannetta would come through with a single to center field to give the Angels a 3-2 lead.
After the Yankees went down in order on strikeouts for the top of the seventh, the bottom of the seventh would start in an awful way. A pop up just beyond second base would fall between shortstop Reid Brignac and second baseman David Adams for one of the cheapest of singles. Pettitte would get a pair of strikeouts looking to pick up the mental lapse of David Adams. Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo would hit back-to-back singles to bring home Bourjos to increase the lead to two
The Yankees wasted opportunities in the game with inabilities or poor decisions.
In the fifth inning, Brett Gardner led off the inning with a single and on a fly out to center field, Gardner would tag up and advance to second base on the simple out. Praised for his smart baserunning, Gardner would then make a poor baserunning decision. On a hard-hit ground ball to shortstop Erick Aybar, Gardner would be thrown out trying to advance to third on a play in front of him.
The Yankees had a big opportunity to score in the eighth inning that went to waste. Jayson Nix would single and Mark Teixeira walked to put two on with no outs. Robinson Cano would fly out, Vernon Wells flies out, and pinch-hitter Ichiro Suzuki would also fly out, squandering the prime scoring opportunity.
Thomas Neal made his Yankees debut tonight in right field, getting a hit in one of his two at-bats and walking once. Reliever Chris Bootcheck would also make his Yankees debut and allowed one run in his inning of work. In tonight’s start, Andy Pettitte allowed a season-high 11 hits.
Win – C.J. Wilson (5-5)
Loss – Andy Pettitte (5-4)
Save – Ernesto Frieri (15)
Notables
Yankees
*David Adams – 1 for 4, 2 RBI (7)
*Vernon Wells – 1 for 4, R
Angels
*Chris Iannetta – 2 for 3, R, 2 RBI (22)
*Mark Trumbo – 3 for 4, 2 R, RBI (45)
Current Yankees Record: 37-30
