By Jim Scott
DNAinfo Associate Editor
MANHATTAN — The Los Angeles Angels were facing an 0-3 deficit against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series before New York manager Joe Girardi handed them a gift.
Girardi's mishandling of the bullpen backfired when back up catcher Jeff Mathis hit an RBI double with two-outs in the 11th inning to lift the Angels to a 5-4 win Monday over the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS to trim New York's series lead to 2-1.
The Angels ended their six-game ALCS losing streak and handed New York it's first loss of the postseason. The Yankees had been 5-0 in the playoffs, starting with a sweep over Minnesota.
Girardi elected to pull right-handed reliever Dave Robertson out of the game with two outs and no one on base in the 11th inning in favor of fellow righty Alfredo Aceves to face Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick.
Kendrick promptly singled and scored the game-winning run on Mathis' double.
Robertson needed only 11 pitches to retire Juan Rivera on a ground out and Kendry Morales on a fly ball for the first two outs of the inning, but Girardi chose to follow his scouting reports on rather than stay with the hot pitcher.
"It's just different kind of stuff against those hitters," Girardi told the New York Post. "We have all the match ups and all the scouting reports and we felt [Aceves] was a better match up for us."
However, Kendrick was 1-for-2 in his career against Aceves and Mathis had never faced him before Monday. Aceves was the seventh pitcher used by the Yankees in a back-and-forth game that featured six home runs and several lead changes.
Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon hit solo home runs to stake New York to a 3-0 lead to back starter Andy Pettitte.
Jeter slammed his third career playoff leadoff home run to start the game and Rodriguez homered in the fourth to give him a career-high nine RBIs in the playoffs.
Kendrick hit a solo homer off Pettitte in the fifth inning and Vladimir Guerrero hit a two-run homer in the sixth to pull the Angels even at 3-3.
"Anyone who thought we were going to breeze through a series with the Angels is crazy," Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira told the Associated Press.
The Angels went ahead briefly in the seventh after a sacrifice fly ball by pinch hitter Maicer Izturis in the seventh only to see the Yankees tie the score up at 4-4 in the eight on Jorge Posada's game-tying home run.
New York will send ace CC Sabathia to the mound in Game 4 Tuesday on three days rest.
Sabathia is 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA in two postseason starts.
Sabathia has not pitched on three days’ rest this season but did it in his final four starts last year with Milwaukee. He was 2-1 with a 0.83 ERA to close the 2008 regular season with the Brewers before getting pounded for five runs in 3 2/3 innings to lose his lone playoff start last year.
The Angels will go with lefty Scott Kazmir in Game 4. Kazmir makes his first start since Oct. 11, Game 3 of the Angels’ division series against Boston.
