• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Murphy's bat sends Yankees past Angels

Apr 26, 2014 - 11:59 PM Bronx, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - John Ryan Murphy belted his first major league homer and knocked in three runs to lead the New York Yankees to a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Murphy singled in a pair of runs in his first at-bat and broke a 3-3 tie with his solo shot off Hector Santiago in the fifth. The New York bullpen made the lead stand by blanking the Angels over the final five innings, with Dellin Betances (1-0) beginning the stretch with two scoreless frames to notch his first big league win.

"It was good because Murphy got his first home run and I was able to get my first win," Betances said. "Every time I come in that situation and the team wins, you feel good about yourself."

Brett Gardner also had two hits to help New York bounce back from a 13-1 shellacking by the Halos in Friday's opener of this three-game set.

Mike Trout went 2-for-3 with a solo homer for the Angels, who also received two hits and an RBI from Chris Iannetta. Santiago (0-4) was tagged for four runs while lasting just 4 1/3 innings to remain winless on the season.

Murphy socked Santiago's initial pitch of the bottom of the fifth into the seats in left-center field to send the Yankees in front, with Betances protecting the one-run edge before giving way to Shawn Kelley with one out and one on in the top of the seventh.

Kelley walked Trout to put two aboard for the dangerous Albert Pujols, but was able to retire the slugger on a fly ball before fanning Howie Kendrick to end the threat.

The Angels also put the tying run in scoring range in the eighth, as singles by Iannetta and Ian Stewart off Kelley preceded a flyout by David Freese and pinch-hitter Raul Ibanez's lineout against Matt Thornton that kept it a 4-3 game.

Trout singled off David Robertson with one out in the ninth and promptly swiped second, but the Yankee closer set down both Pujols and Kendrick to close out the contest.

The Angels stranded 10 runners in all and finished 2-of-14 with men in scoring position.

"We had some chances," Angels manager Mike Scioscia remarked. "At times we hit some balls hard, at times they made some pitches, but all in all, we didn't come through with guys in scoring position today."

Trout hammered a Vidal Nuno fastball into the bleachers in right center to give the Angels a 1-0 edge after one inning, but Santiago got into some substantial trouble in the second to allow the Yankees to forge ahead.

Santiago hit Mark Teixeira and walked Brian Roberts around a one-out single by Gardner to load the bases, then was called for a balk to force in the tying run. Murphy then laced a sharp opposite-field single that plated both remaining runners to stake New York to a 3-1 advantage.

"We win a game 4-3 and he's got three of the RBI, so huge day," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Murphy. "Great job behind home plate [as well] working Nuno and our bullpen. He just had a really good day."

Nuno set down eight straight hitters after Pujols singled following Trout's opening-inning blast, but surrendered another base hit to Pujols and a walk to Kendrick to open the fourth. Pujols came around on a throwing error by Roberts on a grounder to second, right before Iannetta stroked an RBI double to right center that knotted the score at 3-3.

Nuno permitted all three Anaheim runs while striking out four in 4 1/3 innings.

Game Notes

Santiago, born in Newark, N.J., became the third Garden State native to start on the mound for the Angels in the Bronx, a list that also includes current Red Sox skipper John Farrell ... Pujols ended 2-for-5 and has eight hits in 17 at-bats over his last four outings ... The Angels have now lost in 10 of their last 14 visits to Yankee Stadium ... The Yankees moved to 14-1 this season when leading after six innings.