Down 2-0, Angels happy to be home

ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Los Angeles Angels hope that a change of scenery will enable them vault back into their American League Championship Series with the New York Yankees.

After an off-day yesterday, the series shifts this afternoon to Anaheim for Game 3, with the Yankees holding a 2-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.

While many in the East may have fallen asleep, the Yankess and Angels played an epic game in which the players rose above the damp and dreary conditions to put on quite a show. The Yankees prevailed in a 5 hour-and-10 minute marathon with a 4-3 victory in 13 innings during a game that started on Saturday and ended early yesterday morning.

There was no shortage of twists.

Angels third baseman Chone Figgins snapped an 0-for-19 playoff drought with an RBI single in the 11th inning to give Los Angeles a 3-2 lead.

Then Alex Rodriguez tied the score with a solo home run leading off the bottom of the inning, belting a Brian Fuentes 0-2 fastball just over the outstretched arms of former Phillie Bobby Abreu in right field.

"I thought had a chance to catch the ball, it was close," Abreu said yesterday before his team held a workout at Angel Stadium. "I did my best to catch the ball and it didn't happen."

This postseason A-Rod is shedding the reputation as somebody who doesn't hit in October. In five postseason games he is batting .368 with three home runs and eight RBIs.

"I'm not sure where we'd be right now without him," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said yesterday in a conference call.

The Yankees finally won it in the 13th inning when Angels second baseman Maicer Izturis threw wildly to second base after fielding a Melky Cabrera one-out grounder, instead of going for the sure out at first. Jerry Hairston Jr., who led off the inning with a pinch-hit single, scored the winning run on the play.

While both teams said it was part of being a professional dealing with the unyielding elements in New York, the players were happy to be in sunny California, where the temperature was in the low 80's and the forecast is typically pleasant all week.

"I could take this weather all the time," said reliever Joba Chamberlain, who got Vladimir Guerrero to strike out to end the seventh inning.

Chamberlain, who is from Nebraska, wasn't fazed by the cold, dreary weather.

"I would have my shirt off if back home, that is warm for Nebraska and something I'm used to it," he said laughing.

Now that the weather won't be a factor, the next big question is whether the Angels will be playing in this favorable climate past tomorrow's Game 4.

The Angels will start Jered Weaver against playoff warrior Andy Pettitte, whose 15-9 lifetime postseason record ties John Smoltz for the most playoff wins.

In speaking of his postseason success, Pettitte cited among others, Phillies reliever Brad Lidge, who was his teammates when the Houston Astros went to the 2005 World Series.

"I feel fortunate to have been able to have played as long as I have," said Pettitte, who won the clinching Game 3 of the ALDS, a 4-1 victory over Minnesota. "To be able to have played on as many great teams as I've been able to play on, and have the opportunity to do that and play with a great closer here in New York [Mariano Rivera] and then, obviously, Brad Lidge was a great closer in Houston in my games there."

Weaver beat Boston in the ALDS, allowing one run in 71/3 innings in a 4-1 Game 2 victory. He was 16-8 with a 3.75 ERA during the regular season.

"It's not any added pressure on me," Weaver said

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