Big Unit's a big bust: Angels take series lead

Los Angeles defeated the Yankees to move within one game of the ALCS.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Big Unit was a bust when the Yankees needed him most, and Chone Figgins' clutch plays pushed the Los Angeles Angels within one win of the AL championship series.
Figgins made another sparkling grab on defense and hit a tiebreaking single, and Garret Anderson had four hits and five RBIs to lead the Angels over the New York Yankees 11-7 Friday night for a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five playoff series.
The Angels, who set their postseason record with 19 hits, can close out the series today and advance to face the Chicago White Sox in the ALCS. Los Angeles lefty Jarrod Washburn is scheduled to face New York's Shawn Chacon in Game 4.
Bengie Molina homered for the third straight game and Anderson hit a three-run shot through the raindrops as Los Angeles went ahead 5-0 and chased Randy Johnson in the fourth. His playoff debut for the Yankees was a dud, the shortest of his 15 postseason starts.
Sparked by Hideki Matsui's leadoff homer in the fourth, New York came back against Paul Byrd and the Angels' bullpen to go ahead 6-5 in the fifth only to quickly fall behind again as Aaron Small and Tom Gordon failed to come through.
Tall task
New York, with a record payroll of $203 million, must win two straight in order to continue its quest for its first World Series title since 2000. If the Yankees fail, owner George Steinbrenner could order a shake up.
Small, 10-0 during the regular season, entered with runners at the corners in the fourth and got a strikeout and double-play grounder, then threw a 1-2-3 fifth. But he wound up losing for the first time since New York brought him up in mid-July.
Former Yankee Juan Rivera doubled with one out in the sixth, and Darin Erstad singled to tie it 6-all.
After pinch-hitter Steve Finley struck out, Adam Kennedy blooped a single to short center to move Erstad to third. Figgins, 0-for-11 in the series, stroked a single to right-center that drove in the go-ahead run.
Anderson added a run-scoring single in the seventh off Tom Gordon after Molina was hit on the left elbow by a pitch and forced from the game. Finley squeezed in an unearned run following an error by second baseman Robinson Cano, who came off the bag to take third baseman Alex Rodriguez's soft throw on a grounder, and Jose Molina and Anderson singled home runs in the eighth off Scott Proctor.
Good enough
Scot Shields, the Angels' third pitcher, struck out four in two innings for the win, escaping a bases-loaded jam in the sixth when Cano flied out.
Kelvin Escobar allowed Derek Jeter's leadoff homer in the eighth, and Francisco Rodriguez finished a game that lasted exactly 4 hours.
Johnson was 6-0 over his prior eight starts since Aug. 21 but left numerous pitches up and quickly got into trouble.
Anderson had been 3-for-18 against the 42-year-old left-hander, who gave up career-high 32 homers during the regular season but just one to a left-handed hitter, Toronto's Eric Hinske on April 29.
LOS ANGELESNEW YORK
abrhbiabrhbi
Figgins cf6121Jeter ss5222
OCbera ss5110ARod 3b4020
VGrero rf4320JaGbi dh5021
BMolna c3222Shffield rf4000
JMolna c1111Matsui lf3221
GAndsn lf5145Cano 2b5221
JRivra dh5110BWllms cf4121
Erstad 1b5131TMrtnz 1b4000
Quinlan 3b2010Sierra ph1000
SFinley cf2001Flherty c0000
AKndy 2b5020Posada c3001
Totals43111911Totals387127
Los Angeles302002220--11
New York000420010--7
E--OCabrera (1), Sheffield (1), Cano (2). DP--New York 2. LOB--Los Angeles 8, New York 10. 2B--OCabrera (1), JRivera (1), Erstad (1), ARodriguez (1), Cano (3). 3B--Figgins (1), GAnderson (1). HR--BMolina (3), GAnderson (1), Jeter (1), Matsui (1). CS--AKennedy (2). S--SFinley. SF--BWilliams.
IPHRERBBSO
Los Angeles
Byrd3 2-374422
Donnelly1-322110
Shields W,1-0210024
KEscobar211102
FrRodriguez110001
New York
RaJohnson395502
Small L,0-12 2-342202
Sturtze1-300000
Gordon022100
Leiter1 1-312211
Proctor1 2-330001
Donnelly pitched to 2 batters in the 5th, RaJohnson pitched to 2 batters in the 4th, Gordon pitched to 4 batters in the 7th. HBP--by Gordon (BMolina). WP--Proctor. Umpires--Home, Derryl Cousins; First, Alfonso Marquez; Second, Joe West; Third, Jim Reynolds; Left, Gary Darling; Right, Jerry Meals. T--4:00. A--56,277.