Angels 6, Yankees 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Howie Kendrick continued a torrid stretch with three hits to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 6-2 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday at Angel Stadium.
Kendrick had plenty of help, as the Angels finished with 12 hits and got a strong performance on the mound from both starter Tommy Hanson and the bullpen as the Angels sent the Yankees to their fifth loss in a row.
Kendrick has been among the hottest hitters in the majors for the past month, raising his average from .275 on May 13 to .336 on Saturday, when he had three singles and a bases-loaded walk. Erick Aybar chipped in with a home run and an RBI single, and both Peter Bourjos and Albert Pujols had two hits.
Hanson (4-2) was steady throughout, never getting into any serious trouble other than in the third inning when he gave up an RBI triple to Brett Gardner and an RBI single to Jayson Nix. Hanson gave up those two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings, and he got a big boost from the bullpen in the seventh with the game on the line.
The Angels led 3-2 when Hanson gave up a leadoff single to Ichiro Suzuki, who then stole both second and third. Hanson struck out Thomas Neal for the first out then was replaced by Scott Downs, who struck out Reid Brignac for the second out. Then Angels manager Mike Scioscia went to Michael Kohn, who struck out Chris Stewart to end the inning with the lead intact.
The Angels added two runs in the bottom of the seventh and another in the eighth to give themselves a cushion.
Yankees starter David Phelps (4-4) gave up four runs and nine hits in six innings to get the loss. The Yankees totaled just five hits, two of them by Suzuki.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead against Phelps on Aybar's home run just inside the right-field foul pole with two outs in the second inning.
But the Yankees responded with two runs off Hanson in the top of the third. Gardner had a two-out, RBI triple, then scored on a single by Nix for a 2-1 lead.
The Angels tied the game at 2 with a run in their half of the third. Mike Trout singled, stole second and scored on Pujols' broken-bat single to center.
NOTES: Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez ran the bases at 75 percent on Saturday as part of his rehab routine and felt fine afterward, according to Yankees manager Joe Girardi. Rodriguez, who had surgery on his left hip in January, is hoping to return to the roster after the All-Star break. ... Angels RHP Ernesto Frieri has held left-handed hitters to a .098 (5-for-51) batting average, best among all relievers in the majors. However, three of the five hits by lefties have been home runs. ... Angels 1B Mark Trumbo began the day hitting .382 (26-for-68) with seven homers and 13 RBIs in 18 career games against the Yankees. The .382 average is his best against any American League team. ... Gardner leads the American League with RBIs (27) and extra-base hits (24) from the leadoff spot. He began Saturday having scored at least one run in 19 of his previous 28 starts. ... Yankees LF Vernon Wells got a day off.
