“We shot ourselves in the foot all day on the offensive side,’’ manager Mike Scioscia said. “We had chances to score runners with just some outs, and we left a lot of guys on third base with less than two outs. You need to pick up those runs and keep pressure on them. We just didn’t play the kind of all-around type of game that’s going to lead to a win.’’
A day after pulling within 1 ½ games of the division lead, Los Angeles was left lamenting a close loss and a blown three-run lead after the Rangers routed Oakland 8-1 earlier.
New York had two runners on in the seventh when Bourjos allowed Teixeira’s fly to deep center to pop out of his glove. Bourjos then missed the cutoff man with his throw, allowing Derek Jeter to score easily from first base on the error.
“It kind of flashed into the sun for a second, but it’s a play I’ve got to make,’’ Bourjos said. “I think I needed to get in a little better position to catch it. It was a turning point in that game, and we lost it right there.’’
Ervin Santana (11-11) couldn’t match the shutdown efforts of Jered Weaver and Dan Haren earlier in the series for the Angels. Santana had eight strikeouts, yielding eight hits and four walks before leaving with two runners on in the sixth.
Jeter had two hits and scored the go-ahead run for the first-place Yankees, who moved 3 ½ games ahead of slumping Boston in the AL East — their biggest lead of the season.
The Yankees’ four-game skid was their second-longest this season, but they still haven’t lost four straight road games all year. New York also avoided getting swept by the Angels for the first time since July 2009.
The Yankees might be stumbling a bit — but compared to the Red Sox, who were pounded again by Tampa Bay on Sunday, they’re rolling.
