Injury-riddled Yankees erase 5-run deficit for 6th straight win

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) DJ LeMahieu singled home Tyler Wade with the tiebreaking run in the ninth, and the New York Yankees rallied from a five-run deficit for their sixth consecutive victory, 6-5 over the hapless Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night.

Wade made up for an earlier baserunning mishap when he got a two-out single off Ty Buttrey (1-1) and stole second. LeMahieu then drove in his third run of the night for the Yankees, who trailed 5-0 after five innings before rallying to win at Angel Stadium for a franchise-record sixth straight time.

CC Sabathia fell short of recording his 3,000th career strikeout while yielding four earned runs and six hits over five innings for the Yankees.

Andrelton Simmons hit two homers off Sabathia, and Kole Calhoun added a three-run homer during the Los Angeles' four-run fourth inning.

But the last-place Angels blew it all in their ninth loss in 10 games, and the no-name Yankees just kept winning.

Jonathan Loaisiga (1-0) pitched three innings of two-hit relief in his first game back from the minors. Aroldis Chapman pitched the ninth for his fourth save.

Buttrey was one strike away from completing three innings of hitless relief before the Yankees rallied.

Sabathia needed six strikeouts in Anaheim to become the 17th member of the 3,000 club, but the veteran left-hander managed to strike out just three Angels.

Shortly after Albert Pujols got his 3,099th career hit on his second single off Sabathia, Calhoun drove a hanging breaking ball into the elevated right field stands for his fifth homer of an otherwise rough offensive start.

Reliever Cam Bedrosian made his first career start as an opener for the Angels before Felix Pena took over and struck out eight over five strong innings.

The Yankees didn't get a hit until the fifth, but they broke through with a two-run rally in the sixth highlighted by LeMahieu's RBI double, and they added three runs on one hit in the seventh.

After Angels reliever Luis Garcia walked Wade with the bases loaded, Mike Tauchman tied it by beating Simmons' throw to the plate.

The Yankees could have had more, but the Angels made an unlikely double play: Mike Trout made a sprinting catch on Brett Gardner's long drive, and Simmons then alertly tagged out Wade from behind when the New York baserunner lifted his foot off second base.

Gary Sanchez struck out four times for the Yankees, who activated their catcher from the injured list before the game and immediately installed him in the cleanup spot.

Trout went 0 for 3 with a seventh-inning walk. The two-time AL MVP has reached base in his first 22 consecutive games, extending a career best to start a season, but has just three extra-base hits and two RBIs since April 7.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Yankees: Sanchez went on the injured list April 12 with a left calf strain. ... Clint Frazier didn't play after spraining his left ankle Monday.

Angels: Shohei Ohtani faced live pitching for the first time since Tommy John surgery, making four plate appearances in a simulated game. ... Tyler Skaggs (sprained left ankle) will return from the injured list to start Friday in Kansas City.

UP NEXT

Trevor Cahill (1-2, 5.47 ERA) tries to avoid his second loss of the Angels' homestand when he takes the mound in the series finale. New York counters with Masahiro Tanaka (2-1, 2.76), who has never lost to the Angels in six career starts.

---

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports