Los Angeles squares series with defense

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Orlando Cabrera, Bengie Molina and the Angels’ slick gloves got Los Angeles even against the New York Yankees.

Cabrera scored the tying run after a costly error by Alex Rodriguez and hit a go-ahead single, Molina got two big hits and Los Angeles beat the Yankees 5-3 Wednesday night to tie their American League Division Series at one game apiece.

“That’s the kind of game we have to play,” the Angels’ Steve Finley said. “We’ve played very well at that all year.”

New York went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position – 0 for 8 after Robinson Cano doubled in the first run – and made three errors that led to three unearned runs.

“It’s costly,” Rodriguez said. “In postseason, you can’t make mistakes. You kind of knew that once that play wasn’t made, they were going to score somehow – even after two outs. That was as routine of a play as it could get. I looked down and I couldn’t believe it wasn’t in my glove. But you have to move on. You can’t dwell on it.”

The Angels saved at least one or two runs with sparkling defense.

Now the series shifts to Yankee Stadium, where Randy Johnson starts for New York on Friday night against Paul Byrd.

With New York leading 2-0 on Cano’s second-inning double and Gary Sheffield’s RBI grounder in the fifth, Angels third baseman Chone Figgins dived toward the foul line to make a backhanded stop on a hard-hit ball by Hideki Matsui to end the fifth with Jason Giambi on third.

Juan Rivera homered leading off the bottom half against Chien-Ming Wang, the first Taiwanese player to start a postseason game.

Then, with Bernie Williams on second base in the sixth, Jorge Posada hit a grounder down the first-base line that first baseman Darin Erstad knocked down and flipped to pitcher John Lackey, who went to his knees at first to make the grab with his back to the plate. Williams was stranded when Derek Jeter grounded out against Scot Shields.

“Give those guys credit,” Rodriguez said. “Figgins made one of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen, and Erstad made another great play on the receiving end.”

Los Angeles tied the score in the bottom of the sixth when Rodriguez let Cabrera’s leadoff bouncer hit off the webbing of his glove for an error, and Molina singled home Cabrera with two outs.

The rally monkey the Angels so relied on throughout their 2002 title run immediately began jumping around on the big screen.

The Angels went ahead in the seventh on Cabrera’s two-out, two-run single off Wang. Molina homered in the eighth off Al Leiter – Molina’s second homer in as many nights – to make it 5-2.

Posada hit a solo homer in the ninth against Francisco Rodriguez, who got his first postseason save. That was the only hit off the Angels’ bullpen, with Kelvim Escobar pitching two hitless innings between Shields and Rodriguez for the win.

Angels 5, Yankees 3

SERIES TIED 1-1

a-announced for DaVanon in the 8th. b-grounded out for Quinlan in the 8th. 1-ran for Rivera in the 7th. E—ARodriguez (1), Cano (1), Wang (1). LOB—New York 8, Los Angeles 5. 2B—JaGiambi (2), Matsui (1), Cano (2), BWilliams (2). HR—Posada (1), off FrRodriguez; BMolina (2), off Leiter; JRivera (1), off Wang. RBIs—Sheffield (1), Cano (4), Posada (1), OCabrera 2 (2), BMolina 2 (3), JRivera (1). SB—ARodriguez (1). CS—ARodriguez (1), AKennedy (1). S—SFinley, AKennedy. Runners left in scoring position—New York 4 (Jeter, Matsui 2, TMartinez); Los Angeles 2 (Erstad, SFinley). Runners moved up—Sheffield, Posada, VGuerrero, BMolina.

Inherited runners-scored—Leiter 1-0, Shields 2-0. HBP—by Wang (VGuerrero). PB—BMolina.

T—3:05. A—45,150 (45,037).