Angels 7, Yankees 6: At the start of Game 5 of the ALCS, it looked like the Angels were going to blow away the Yankees. Yankees starter AJ Burnett walked leadoff hitter Chone Figgins and allowed a double to Bobby Abreu. Torii Hunter followed with a 2-run single, Vladimir Guerrero followed with a RBI double, and Kendry Morales followed with a RBI single before Burnett got the first out. The three straight hits by Abreu, Hunter, and Guerrero were on three straight pitches. After the first inning, the Angels led 4-0. After the first, both starting pitchers, Burnett and John Lackey, were cruising along until the Yankees finally got to Lackey in the 7th inning. Lackey gave up a double to Melky Cabrera and walked Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter, before getting Johnny Damon for the second out. This would end Lackey’s night, without some argument from him with his manager Mike Scioscia, and began Darren Oliver’s night. On his first pitch to Mark Teixeira, Tex ripped a 3-run double to the left-centerfield gap to close the Angels lead to 4-3. The 3 RBIs were the first for Teixeira in the ALCS. Oliver had been great all season and in the postseason for the Los Angeles Dodgers (6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB in the postseason prior to the 7th inning of Game 5). After an intentional walk to Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui drove in Teixeira to tie the game at 4-4, thus ending Oliver’s night. Kevin Jepsen came in and gave up a 2-run triple to Robinson Cano. A six-run 7th inning for the Yankees gave them a 6-4 lead. The fans at Angel Stadium had become quiet (except for the Yankees fans in attendance) and so did the Thunderstix.

The Angels battled back against the combination of Burnett, and relievers Damaso Marte and Phil Hughes. Morales got a base hit off of Hughes with two outs to give the Angels a 7-6 lead. In the 3-run seventh, Abreu had an RBI groundout, his first RBI of the ALCS. Yankees manager Joe Girardi was again second-guessed for not taking out Burnett sooner (like not sending him out for the 7th inning), though in Game 3 he was second-guessed for having too quick of a hook with the relievers. Scioscia went to Game 3 starter Jered Weaver in the 8th inning, and he threw just 11 pitches, striking out both Cabrera and Jeter. The 9th inning was a bit of an adventure for Angels closer Brian Fuentes and the Angeles  fans, but Fuentes managed to go unscathed with the bases loaded, sending the ALCS back to NY for at least Game 6. The Angels Jeff Mathis yet again provided the offense at the bottom of the order, going 3-for-4, and having a hit in 6 straight postseason at-bats.

Game 6 will pit Joe Saunders of the Angels against Andy Pettitte of the Yankees. In his Game 2 start, Saunders pitched 7 innings, giving up just 2 runs. He was the recipient of 3 double plays, which neutralized the 6 hits he gave up. He received a no-decision as the game went into extra innings, a game the Yankees won. In his Game 3 start, Pettitte went into the 7th inning, giving up 3 runs, but received a no-decision as the game went into extra innings, with the Angels winning 5-4. Game 6’s weather forecast is dreary and the Philadelphia Phillies are hoping for the ALCS to go as long as possible to give them an advantage in terms of the pitching staff.