Brandon Wood gets Angels -- and himself -- going in win over Yankees
Brandon Wood visited the happiest place on Earth on Sunday afternoon.
“We’re heading to Disneyland with my niece,” the Angels infielder said. “She’s going to meet all the princesses.”
That, however, wasn’t the place we’re talking about. The magical trip that really brought a smile to Wood’s face was the one he made a few hours earlier, when he visited second base at Angel Stadium.
That’s because his bases-loaded double not only started the Angels on their way to an 8-4 win over the New York Yankees, but it also gave Wood his first extra-base hit and first runs batted in of the season, one that is off to a hellacious start.
Whether one swing is enough to erase the 17 strikeouts and the .113 batting average, worst among big league third basemen, remains to be seen. But it’s a start.
“I don’t know if it got the monkey off my back. Or if there’s one on there,” Wood said. “That’s one hit and two RBIs. I still have a lot of hard work to get myself out of this.”
The Angels have so much confidence in Wood, who hit as many as 43 homers and had as many as 115 RBIs in the minor leagues, that they let third baseman Chone Figgins leave as a free agent during the off-season. What they appear to be running short of is patience.
But Wood hardly lacks supporters in the Angels’ clubhouse.
“We’re all pulling for him,” said pitcher Scott Kazmir, who held the Yankees to three hits over 5 1/3 innings Sunday to get the win. “He’s a great talent. He really is. For him to get a hit like that in that important situation, we were all on the top step cheering for him.”
The important situation came in the fourth inning with the Angels trailing by a run. Yankees starter Javier Vazquez had allowed four consecutive hitters to reach base, bringing Wood to the plate with one out, the bases loaded and the Angels trailing by a run.
Wood swung at the first pitch, driving a sinking liner to left field that outfielder Marcus Thames appeared to misjudge before racing to make an unsuccessful attempt at a diving catch, giving Wood his first two-run hit since July.
“You need a lot of luck in this game,” Kazmir (2-1) said. “He could have caught it. Or couldn’t have caught it. Either way, [Wood] got the hit. It’s something that he can build on.”
Three innings later, the Angels got more good fortune when Manager Mike Scioscia gave Kendry Morales the green light on a 3-0 pitch and Morales responded with a two-out, three-run homer that put the game out of reach. It was his sixth home run of the season.
While Wood was heading to Disneyland, the Yankees left Anaheim for the White House, where they are scheduled to meet with President Obama on Monday to commemorate last year’s World Series victory — the 27th in franchise history and one that came after a win over the Angels in the American League Championship Series.
The Yankees could have taken a little more history with them had they won Sunday; a victory would have given them their sixth consecutive series win to start a season, something no defending World Series champion has done.
“You have to play well if you’re going to have a chance with them,” Scioscia said of the Yankees, whom he has beaten more than any other active big league manager. “We played well this weekend.”
And for perhaps the first time this season, you can include Wood in that.
“It’s just nice to come in after a win I contributed to,” he said. “It’s nice to be a part of it.”
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