Trying to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, the Yankees got
another big hit from Rodriguez. He has driven in at least one run in
eight consecutive postseason games, tying the record shared by Lou
Gehrig and Ryan Howard, who will attempt to extend his streak Wednesday
night when the Phillies host the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLCS.

After
consecutive extra-inning games that took a combined 9 hours, 31
minutes, the Yankees and Angels played the first six innings in 2
hours, 37 minutes. New York also got a two-run single from Melky
Cabrera.

Kendry Morales homered for Los Angeles.

Angels
left-hander Scott Kazmir threw 89 pitches in four-plus innings,
allowing four runs, six hits and four walks. Two of his three
strikeouts were against Mark Teixeira, who came in 7 for 11 lifetime
against him.

Six players in the Yankees’ lineup came into the
game with at least 24 at-bats and a career average under .200 against
the left-hander _ Rodriguez (.125), Derek Jeter (.111), Johnny Damon
(.167), Hideki Matsui (.179), Robinson Cano (.154) and switch-hitting
Nick Swisher (.185).

The Yankees, who were 30-0 in ALCS play
when holding a lead of three or more runs prior to Monday’s 5-4 loss,
finally broke through against Kazmir with three in the fourth after
getting the leadoff man on in each of the first three innings without
any success.

Rodriguez started the rally with a leadoff single,
went to third on Jorge Posada’s double inside third base and scored one
out later when second baseman Howie Kendrick fielded Cano’s grounder
and made a high throw to the plate that prevented Mike Napoli from
getting the tag down in time. Swisher walked and Cabrera followed with
a two-run single.

The Angels got a break that inning when
Swisher was called out for leaving third base too soon on Damon’s fly
to center field. Swisher was called out on an appeal, resulting in an
inning-ending double play _ though replays appeared to show Swisher did
not leave early.

But the Yankees made it 5-0 in the fifth, as
Teixeira chased Kazmir with a leadoff single and Rodriguez drove Jason
Bulger’s second pitch to left field for his fifth home run of the
postseason and third in three games.

The Angels were on the
wrong end of two blown calls by the umpires that inning, one by Dale
Scott at second base after Swisher was clearly tagged before he could
get back to the bag on a pickoff throw by Darren Oliver.

Moments
later, Cabrera hit a comebacker to Oliver, who immediately threw to the
plate and got Posada caught in a rundown. Napoli ran Posada back to the
bag while Cano coasted into third, and the Angels’ catcher ended up
tagging each runner standing off the bag _ first Cano, then Posada. But
crew chief Tim McClelland ruled that only Posada was out.

The
Angels, who haven’t scored in the first three innings during this
series, got on the board in the fifth when Morales homered with one out
on Sabathia’s 45th pitch. It was one of three straight hits by the
Angels, but Sabathia retired Chone Figgins on a fielder’s choice
grounder and Bobby Abreu on a fly after singles by Napoli and Erick
Aybar.

The Angels threatened again in the sixth, but Juan Rivera
grounded into a double play with runners at first and second, and
Kendrick lined out to first base.

Sabathia was pitching on three
days’ rest for the first time since Oct. 2, 2008, when he gave up five
runs in 3 2-3 innings for Milwaukee in a 5-2 loss at Philadelphia in
Game 2 of the NL division series. Last Friday at Yankee Stadium in Game
1, the 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner allowed a run and four hits over
eight innings _ his longest outing in seven postseason starts.

Sabathia,
who went 19-8 with a 3.37 ERA and 197 strikeouts during the regular
season after signing a seven-year, $161 million contract with the
Yankees in December, didn’t pitch with less than four days’ rest in any
of his 34 starts. In 2008 with the Brewers, the 290-pound lefty pitched
on three days’ rest in his last three outings before the postseason and
was 2-1 with a 0.83 ERA.

Kazmir was 2-1 against the Yankees this
season, both victories coming with Tampa Bay, and the loss after he was
traded to the Angels on Aug. 28 for three minor leaguers. Lifetime
against New York, he came in 6-5 with a 2.67 ERA in 14 starts and one
relief appearance.

Kazmir got a no-decision at Boston on Oct. 11
in Game 3 of the division series. He allowed five runs over six innings
before the Angels rallied with three runs in the ninth to complete the
first postseason sweep in franchise history.

The series takes a
day off Wednesday before Yankees Game 2 starter A.J. Burnett faces Game
1 loser John Lackey on Thursday night at Angel Stadium.