Yankees 6, Angels 5
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- C.C. Sabathia threw eight stellar innings, lifting the New York Yankees to a 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon at Angel Stadium.
Sabathia survived a jam in the first inning and sailed until he tired in the ninth, allowing five hits along the way. He gave up a double to Mike Trout and walked Albert Pujols to start the ninth and was taken out of the game, coming up three outs short of throwing what would have been his 12th career shutout.
Instead, the Angels made things interesting by scoring five runs in the ninth after Sabathia was taken out. David Robertson gave up an RBI single to Mark Trumbo, the run charged to Sabathia. Robertson struck out Howie Kendrick for the first out of the inning, but walked J.B. Shuck to load the bases and was given the hook by Yankees manager Joe Girardi.
Mariano Rivera entered the game to a standing ovation from the crowd, knowing it would be Rivera's final appearance in the stadium. Rivera gave up an RBI groundout to Erick Aybar (the run charged to Sabathia), then a two-run single to Alberto Callaspo (both charged to Robertson), the Angels cutting the Yankees' lead to 6-4.
Pinch hitter Brad Hawpe singled to left field, Callaspo taking third, and Peter Bourjos followed with an RBI single to make it 6-5. Trout then walked to load the bases for Pujols, but Rivera struck him out for his 24th save.
It wasn't as smooth as they would have liked, but Sabathia (7-5) and the Yankees could settle for putting an end to their five-game losing streak and finishing their west coast swing on a positive note, even though they lost six of 10 on the trip to Seattle, Oakland and Anaheim.
Both starting pitchers worked their way out of jams in the first inning. The Yankees loaded the bases with one out against Weaver in the top of the first, but Weaver got ex-Angel Vernon Wells to hit into an inning-ending double play.
In the bottom of the inning, Peter Bourjos (single) and Trout (walk) gave the Angels runners on first and second with nobody out. But Sabathia induced a double-play grounder by Pujols, and then retired Trumbo on a grounder to short to end the threat.
The Yankees threatened again in the third inning when they put runners on second and third with none out. Angels starter Jered Weaver nearly escaped, striking out Ichiro Suzuki and getting Robinson Cano on a flyout to shallow left. But Travis Hafner followed with a three-run home run to break the scoreless tie. The Yankees didn't stop there, getting an RBI double by Lyle Overbay and an RBI single by Jayson Nix to take a 5-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Sabathia settled in, retiring the Angels in order in the second, third and fourth innings.
The Yankees gave Sabathia a big cushion got in the third inning when they scored five times, sparked by Lyle Overbay's two-out, three-run home run off Weaver (1-3). Jayson Nix had three hits and Brett Gardner had two as the Yankees had nine in all. The Yankees are a major league-best 21-0 when they score at least five runs in a game.
Weaver gave up five runs and seven hits in six innings and got the loss.
NOTES: Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira had an MRI on his right wrist Sunday, and the results showed inflammation, but no serious injury. He received a cortisone shot and will be re-evaluated in a few days. Teixeira missed the first two months of the season because of an injury suffered to the wrist during the spring. ... Wells began the day homerless since May 15, when he hit his 10th of the year. Since then, Wells is hitting .124 (12 for 97) with three doubles and three RBIs. ... Angels RF Josh Hamilton was not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Yankees because the Yankees had left-hander Sabathia on the mound. Hamilton is hitting .118 (2-for-17) with six strikeouts in his career against Sabathia. ... Angels RHP Joe Blanton will start for the Angels Tuesday against the Mariners. Blanton was skipped in the rotation the last time around, but was given the nod for Tuesday over RHP Jerome Williams, who returned to the bullpen. ... Pujols went into Sunday's game against the Yankees riding a season-long six-game hitting streak, during which he hit .440 (11 for 25) with two homers and six RBIs.
