After rallying to win their latest game, the Los Angeles Angels appear to have ended a difficult stretch, but their road trip is taking them to a place where they've often struggled.
The Angels will try to earn a rare victory at the New York Yankees' current home when they face Masahiro Tanaka on Monday night.
Los Angeles scored four runs in the final three innings Sunday for a 5-4 victory against Pittsburgh, and Albert Pujols brought home the final two with his 572nd career homer, putting him one shy of matching Harmon Killebrew for 11th all-time.
"You never know how a game is going to turn out or what's going to help you win a game, but you know there's a good chance he's going to be in the middle of it and he came up big today," manager Mike Scioscia said.
The Angels (26-30) have won four of six after going 3-6 in their previous nine, but they're 8-23 all-time at the new Yankee Stadium, including the playoffs. The Angels have also dropped five in a row and 14 of 18 there.
Tanaka (3-1, 2.78 ERA) will try to send them to another loss in the Bronx while bouncing back from his first defeat this season. The right-hander gave up two runs in six innings Wednesday in Toronto, but his teammates failed to produce in a 7-0 loss.
Tanaka has a 0.90 ERA in his last three starts, winning the previous two. The Yankees (26-30) totaled 18 runs and 34 hits while winning two of the following three games before losing 3-1 in Baltimore on Sunday.
Aroldis Chapman gave up Matt Wieters' go-ahead, two-run single for his first blown save in 10 chances with New York. The Yankees, previously 25-0 when leading after seven innings, had 10 hits but went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position.
"We had a lot of opportunities but weren't able to get the big hit," manager Joe Girardi said. "They got the big hit at the end and that's why we lost."
Matt Shoemaker (3-6, 5.50) will try to send New York to another defeat while rebounding from his first in four starts. Like Tanaka, the right-hander didn't get any support in a 3-0 loss to Detroit on Wednesday.
Shoemaker yielded two runs in seven innings despite allowing a season-high 10 hits and fanned eight. He is 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA in his last four starts and has 31 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings in his past three.
Shoemaker suffered a 3-1 loss in his only start against the Yankees on July 1, allowing two runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Tanaka did not get a decision in his only matchup with the Angels on April 27, 2014, a 3-2 win for New York.
Brett Gardner will try to help lead him to a victory this time while boosting his .386 average in his last 11 games against Los Angeles. Gardner went 7 for 12 in three games in Baltimore after enduring an 0-for-23 slump.
Angels third baseman Yunel Escobar, batting .349 in his last 32 games, is hitting .367 in his last eight versus New York. Mike Trout has four homers in his past five matchups and is a lifetime .360 hitter at Yankee Stadium.
Kole Calhoun, batting .386 on the road this season, is a .154 hitter in 10 career games against New York.
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