ANAHEIM, Calif. — Asked to preserve an eighth-inning tie, Joba Chamberlain put the Yankees on their first losing streak of the season last night.
Chamberlain was summoned with the score even and before he could register an out Kendry Morales slugged a two-run homer to right that carried the Angels to a 6-4 victory in front of 44,002 at Angel Stadium.
“It stayed where it started and didn’t have late bite and he put a good swing on it,” Chamberlain said of the 86-mph, 1-1 slider to Morales.
The loss was the second straight for the Yankees, who take their initial losing streak of the season into today’s game. The Yankees need to win today and tomorrow to avoid dropping the first series of the season.
Angels catcher Bobby Wilson left the game with a leg injury and concussion in the third inning after Mark Teixeira ran over him to score a run. Teixeira lowered his shoulder and hit Wilson, who made his first big league start, square with his left leg planted. Wilson was taken to a hospital for tests.
“If he is standing up I slide,” Teixeira said. “But as soon as he comes toward me I have to try and get the ball loose.”
With Wilson’s teammates, manager and trainer’s around the plate, Teixeira waited until he got to the clubhouse to check on Wilson, who made his first start in the big leagues. Wilson wasn’t back from the hospital to take Teixeira’s call.
“I feel terrible, you don’t want to see anybody get hurt. I have run over a dozen catchers, unfortunately this is the first one to get hurt,” said Teixeira who starched Jorge Posada when he was a Ranger.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia, perhaps the best ever at blocking the plate, said he had no problem with Teixeira crashing into his catcher.
Hideki Matsui opened the fateful eighth against Chamberlain with a loud single to right on a 2-1 pitch. Three offerings later Morales, who was 4-for-6 with a homer and three RBIs against Chamberlain, homered.
The only inning starter A.J. Burnett was perfect was the sixth when he retired the lower third of the order. Other than that the night was a struggle. In 6 1/3 innings, Burnett allowed four runs, nine hits, walked two and hit two batters.
“If I had a shut down inning Joba wouldn’t have been in that situation,” said Burnett, who said he threw only one acceptable curveball and graded his second-best pitch as a D-minus so far this season. “I left balls over the middle of the plate and I was overthrowing.”
Burnett left after issuing Bobby Abreu a one-out walk. David Robertson surfaced and watched Posada throw out Abreu attempting to pilfer second base. Robertson kept the score tied, 4-4, by fanning Torii Hunter.
Brett Gardner’s inability to get a bunt down with runners on first and second and no outs in the sixth cost the Yankees a chance to take the lead.
Curtis Granderson led off with a walk and Ervin Santana drilled Nick Swisher with the score tied, 4-4.
That brought Gardner to the plate and he bunted the first pitch in the air where Santana easily caught it.
“It was a situation where he was bunting for a hit,” manager Joe Girardi said. “The problem was the pitch was up, it’s a ball.”
Derek Jeter hit a ball through the middle that grazed Santana and was fielded by second baseman Howie Kendrick in time to force Swisher at second. Nick Johnson fell into a 0-2 hole, battled back to a full count and grounded to second to leave two on.
Johnson started the game hitless in 19 at-bats and extended that to 21 before singling in the fourth to avoid tying the longest slump of his career.
Ervin Santana, who the Yankees beat, 7-5, on April 13 at Yankee Stadium, gave up four runs and eight hits in six innings.