Yankees Get Word; Angels Are for Real

Manager Terry Collins didn’t think his Angels had “made any kind of statement” with a two-game sweep of New York, which concluded with Thursday night’s 10-2 thrashing of the Yankees before 29,899 in Edison Field.

Over in the visitors’ clubhouse, though, where the powerful Yankees were wondering how they could be thoroughly outpitched, outhit and outplayed for two straight nights, a message seemed to be received.

“They’re a very aggressive team, Terry’s always been aggressive,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “They have a good lineup, and they got two well- pitched games here.

“What it’s going to come down to is pitching, and if these two games are any indication, then you have to take the Angels very seriously.”

The Yankees, heavy favorites to win the American League East, managed only four hits off Chuck Finley in Wednesday night’s opener, a 4-1 loss. Thursday night it was Angel right-hander Ken Hill who stymied the Yankees, limiting them to five hits in six shutout innings.

Hill and Angel third baseman Dave Hollins both joined the century club, Hill securing his 100th victory and Hollins hitting his 100th home run in the fourth inning.

Catcher Phil Nevin, the former Cal State Fullerton star making his Angel debut, added a two-run double in the fourth and an RBI groundout in the eighth, Darin Erstad knocked in two runs, and Jim Edmonds capped a five-run eighth with a two-run homer.

Left fielder Garret Anderson also saved a run and maybe more with a nice, inning-ending sliding catch of Darryl Strawberry’s pop down the line in the sixth, preserving a 3-0 lead.

“Ken was great--pitching is always the No. 1 thing,” Collins said. “But you also have to put that alongside a great play by Garret in left field. They had a chance to get back into the game, but instead of giving up two runs, it’s still 3-0.”

The Yankees have one of baseball’s most potent lineups, but they mustered only three runs and 12 hits in two games against the Angels. Mike Holtz, who threw a scoreless relief inning Wednesday night, added another 1 1/3 scoreless innings Thursday, inducing the always-dangerous Paul O’Neill to pop out to end the seventh with a runner on third and the Angels leading, 3-1.

“When you pitch, the game looks easy,” Collins said. “If you don’t pitch, the games get ugly and you’re trying to outslug each other. Our pitchers looked great, and that changes the way the game is played.”

Collins’ catchers don’t look too shabby, either. Matt Walbeck had a key two-run triple and threw out two runners Wednesday night, and Nevin, a converted third baseman playing only his sixth big league game behind the plate, handled Hill well Thursday night and added two clutch hits.

“A lot of people told me I couldn’t do this,” Nevin said. “Some wondered how a team that is expected to win could go with a guy who’s never caught before. I took it as a challenge.”

After Hollins opened the third inning with a homer off Yankee starter David Wells, Tim Salmon singled, Cecil Fielder walked, and both runners advanced on Anderson’s groundout.

With first base open, Wells had the option of pitching around Nevin, who had two home runs against the Yankee left-hander in five career at-bats entering the game.

But Wells chose to go after Nevin, who made the Yankees pay by smashing a two-run double into the gap in left-center for a 3-0 lead.

The Yankees cut it to 3-1 on Derek Jeter’s sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh, but the Angels answered with two in the bottom of the seventh.