ANAHEIM -- Out of the cold, the gusting winds and into the warm California sunshine they came.
Many still were half asleep and bleary-eyed from their cross-country trip after Game 2 of the American League Championship Series ended at 1:15 yesterday morning.
"I've never been that cold before," Los Angeles Angels right fielder Bobby Abreu said, "but it's the post-season. You have to put all of that to the side."
Mariano Rivera, the New York Yankees closer, who recorded seven outs in Game 2 said: "I'm beat-up right now, man."
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series goes this afternoon as the Yankees send lefty Andy Pettitte against right-hander Jared Weaver and the Yanks try to take a 3-0 lead.
"The hamburger I had on the plane was terrible, nothing tasted good," Angels manger Mike Scioscia told reporters yesterday. "We're moving forward with positives. Unfortunately, there were negatives that we need to get better at if we're going to get back to the (World) Series and win."
The Angels were 3-for-15 hitting with men in scoring position (the Yanks were hitless in eight attempts).
Second baseman Maicer Izturis' wild throw to second accounted for the winning run in a 4-3 decision as the game lasted 13 innings, five hours and 10 minutes. The Angels hit .154 in the first two games, scoring four runs.
"I'm confident we'll hit," Scioscia said. "A lot of infielders had problems on the defensive side, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter. There were plays that were routine (that weren't made). I'm sure weather influenced some things that happened."
With one out in the 13th and Jerry Hairston on first, Izturis roamed far to his left to field Cano's ground ball. Rather than throw to first for the out, he spun and fired the ball past second, allowing the winning run to score.
"He tried to make a little too much out of a play. That's a play to lose a lot of focus on," Scioscia said. "We didn't need to get to that point. We had opportunities on the offensive side. I like a lot of things that happened on that field in Game 2 and we need to carry those into Game 3."
Closer Brian Fuentes threw a meatball on an 0-2 pitch which Alex Rodriguez fisted, to quote TBS' Skip Caray, over the right-field fence.
"Brian didn't elevate it enough, I don't think it was a blatant mistake," Scioscia said. "It's a pitch that he didn't quite get to the zone he wanted. That's baseball. It happens. Give Alex some credit. He hit it."
The Yanks have played five post-season games and against two teams known for playing fundamentally sound baseball -- the Minnesota Twins, who could have held 2-0 lead over New York -- and the Angels and they have outplayed them and won five in a row.
"You're not going to get a perfect game, you try to play consistent, as fundamentally sound as you can," Scioscia said. "In Game 1, we cracked the door open for them and they created pressure by doing that. We need to keep our aggressiveness. The Yankees are going to pressure you in a lot of ways. We have to apply pressure our own way."
And despite an ESPN commercial which shows the Rally Monkey being "laid off" because of financial constraints, he is expected to be in action on the large board in right.
As for the Angels, they hope they never see the monkey, who shows up only when the club is trailing.
The Angels won't have to worry about the weather.
"It was like Exhibition Stadium in 1979," said Angels first base coach Alfredo Griffin, the former Blue Jays shortstop.
BOB.ELLIOTT@SUNMEDIA.CA
