Angels finally on the upswing
Kendrick, Mathis team up in 11th
ANAHEIM, Calif. - They poured out of the dugout as Howie Kendrick rounded third, awaiting his slide into home plate. He got there safely and was surrounded by his joyous teammates, a group that had kept themselves alive in a series they had been doing their best to lose.
The Angels dropped Saturday night’s Game 2 on a misplay by second baseman Maicer Izturis, part of a mounting number of errors and mistakes. And it appeared the Angels would be done in again yesterday by issues on the basepaths. But all they needed, as it turned out, was a little help from the bottom of the order.
Kendrick, who entered the day with the highest batting average against the Yankees among active players (.426), more than did his part. The second baseman started with a home run in the fifth, added a triple in the seventh, and finished with a single in the 11th that set up catcher Jeff Mathis for the winning double as the Angels used their 5-4 victory to tighten the American League Championship Series, now trailing two games to one.
“That’s probably one of my best games I’ve ever been a part of,’’ Angels center fielder Torii Hunter said. “My heart is hurting right now.
“You can’t give up. No teams give up, I hope not. As long as you have innings and outs left, you have a chance to make something happen.’’
In the middle of one thought, Hunter switched course. As if to himself, he said, “Man, how about that Howie Kendrick and Mathis? Boy, two guys coming through. I’m loving those guys. They can get anything they want from me.’’ He was so excited, he said later, that he was almost at a loss for words - not exactly a common state for Hunter.
It was a “must-win situation,’’ Hunter said. And Mathis came through with the “biggest hit of my life’’ after he entered the game in the eighth. Mathis also doubled leading off the bottom of the 10th, prompting the Yankees to bring in Mariano Rivera and giving the Angels’ coaching staff consideration to run for Mathis.
They didn’t. But the Angels also didn’t score, despite having runners on first and third with no one out. That left Mathis in the game for the 11th, though the Angels didn’t have a rally going until Kendrick’s two-out single off Alfredo Aceves.
“The playoffs is always about that guy that you think is not going to do what he’s capable of. That’s the guy that comes through,’’ Hunter said. “Howie, been picking on him the whole playoffs. He’s been coming through. And Mathis, picking on him. Better stop picking on those boys.’’
As hitting coach Mickey Hatcher said, “I just see a lot of confidence. When you get them hits early, especially in a series, you feel good about yourself. I think that’s what [Mathis is] going through right now. He’s driving the ball the other way, which I think is important for him when he’s going good. He’s focused out there. Right now he’s gap-to-gap, and I like that.’’
Mathis hit only .211 in the regular season and had eight doubles. He hit two yesterday. Kendrick was sent to the minors and returned as part of a platoon. As Mathis said, “There were times when it was frustrating for sure. Any time you’re down there around .200, you’re searching for things. Just toward the end of the season, started battling, just going up there, doing what I could, not thinking a whole bunch. Ended up feeling pretty decent, carrying it over to the postseason.’’
With the Yankees up, 3-0, courtesy of solo home runs (Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon) off Jered Weaver, who hadn’t given up more than two homers in a game all season, Kendrick hit a solo homer off Andy Pettitte in the fifth.
Then came Vladimir Guerrero’s strike, forecast by the designated hitter Sunday during a team workout. Hunter said that Guerrero had told him he was going to do something special. And he did, lofting a pitch into the Angels bullpen in left field for a tying two-run homer. It was only the second postseason home run by Guerrero in 26 games.
“When Vladi hit that to tie it up, it was 0-0 again,’’ Hunter said. “We smelled blood.’’
Pettitte got the first out in the seventh, then took a seat as Joba Chamberlain came on. Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest of moves. Kendrick tripled on the first pitch to the gap in right-center and came home on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Izturis.
The Angels had the lead, but not for long. The Yankees tied it at 4-4 in the eighth courtesy of Jorge Posada’s solo homer off Kevin Jepsen. It was the sixth home run of the game, tying an ALCS record.
In the 11th, the Angels finally got to celebrate for the first time in the series. They will face CC Sabathia tonight as they do their best to tie the series. Not an easy assignment.
“Today is just one game,’’ Kendrick said. “We’ve got a lot of baseball left to play.’’
Amalie Benjamin can be reached at abenjamin@globe.com. 
