Pujols 3 hits, Simmons’ 2 RBIs lead Angels over Yankees 2-0

Chad Green turns in another solid outing, holding the Angels to one run over six innings but takes the hard-luck loss.

NY (62-59) broke a two-game losing streak to move within five games of the Baltimore Orioles for the second AL wild card and has won all five games against Los Angeles this season.

Scoring a run in the first inning and then hanging on to a one-run lead most of the afternoon, the Angels beat the Yankees 2-0 on Sunday, their first win in seven games against NY.

Three Angels relievers combined to blank the Bombers over the final 3.1 innings.

For a long time, it seemed like this game would end in an even more aggravating 1-0 score.

Jacoby Ellsbury gets some air to rob Albert Pujols.

As the Yankees sat the Baby Bombers in the final game of a three-game set, they hoped they could break through against Jhoulys Chacin and the Angels.

“Our opportunities, we have to take advantage of them when we get them”, Girardi said.

No one was more disappointed than Weaver as the Angels had shown signs of moving on from their poor play over the recent weeks in their previous series against Seattle, but this game resembled numerous Angels’ losses this season.

“I thought I was pretty good, just couldn’t finish two guys off with two outs”, Nolasco said.

It looks like the Yankees have a slight leg up on the Angels, as the Yankees have won their last two games while the Angels have lost their last two. Aside from those games, the rest will be played against the Orioles (9), Blue Jays (7), Red Sox (7) and Rays (7). Green struck out a career-high 11 in his start against Toronto and is 2-2 with a 4.05 ERA in his fifth stint with the Yankees this season. Jered Weaver (8-11) surrendered five runs and 10 hits in 4 2/3 innings and has surrendered 30 HRs this season.

“He’s developed a lot over that time, adding the breaking ball that has depth to it, a swing-and-miss (pitch) for him”, Girardi said. Switching gears to New York’s pitching staff, they allow just 2.6 walks per game, the best in the AL.

With two out in the first, Albert Pujols (3-for-4) singled, moved up on C.J. Cron’s walk and scored on Simmons’ line single to left.

Chacin retired the first six Yankees hitters before getting into a jam in the third.

And Jacoby Ellsbury’s leaping catch over the center-field wall turned a two-run homer into an inning-ending out, just like left fielder Brett Gardner’s catch-of-the-season grab the night before. Anderson played for the Angels from 1994-2008, leads the club in eight career categories and got the winning hit – a bases-loaded double – in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series. But the Angels escaped when Teixeira filed out to center field.In the fifth, Pujols came very close to hitting his 24th home run of the season and the 584th of his career, which would have broken a tie with Mark McGwire for 10th place all-time.

Catcher Gary Sanchez had three hits for NY, becoming the first Yankee rookie with four consecutive multi-hit games since Robinson Cano in 2005.

Deolis Guerra, JC Ramirez and Fernando Salas followed with hitless relief.