Angels Get Incomplete Feeling, 7-3 : Baseball: Hustling Yankees hand California its third loss in a row. McDowell outduels Abbott.

Just as the Angels have found creative ways to win games this season, they came up with an unusual way to lose one Friday night at Anaheim Stadium.

The New York Yankees scored what turned out to be the winning run in a 7-3 victory over the Angels on an incomplete pass from Angel first baseman J.T. Snow to third baseman Tony Phillips.

Sound strange? So was the play.

With Wade Boggs on third and Paul O’Neill on first in the third inning, Ruben Sierra chopped a grounder that bounced over pitcher Jim Abbott’s head toward the middle of the infield.

Shortstop Damion Easley and Phillips both charged the ball, which Easley fielded and threw to first but not in time to catch Sierra. Boggs scored, and O’Neill didn’t slow down as he rounded second.

Phillips, who was behind the mound, raced back to cover third, and Snow led him with a lob throw to the bag, displaying more of a touch than most Ram quarterbacks who played on this field.

But Phillips couldn’t make like Jerry Rice--the ball tipped off his glove and into foul territory behind third, and O’Neill scored to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

Yankee right-hander Jack McDowell made the lead hold up, outdueling Angel starter Jim Abbott over the next six innings, and the Yankees added three insurance runs in the top of the ninth to pull away.

The Angels have now lost three consecutive games for only the second time this season, and the competition gets even stiffer tonight--the Angels must face 1994 Cy Young Award winner David Cone.

But the news wasn’t all bad: The Angels maintained their 9 1/2-game lead in the American League West because of Texas’ loss to Chicago.

McDowell, the 1993 Cy Young winner with the Chicago White Sox, had dominated the Angels in two previous 1995 starts, but all he had to show for it was two losses.

The right-hander took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of a May 24 game in Anaheim Stadium but gave up four hits in the seventh and lost, 3-1. He pitched a five-hitter against the Angels in Yankee Stadium June 3 but lost that game, 4-2.

McDowell (11-8) wasn’t nearly as sharp Friday night, giving up three runs in the first two innings and eight hits through six, but good fortune against the Angels finally came his way.

Chili Davis and Snow singled to open the sixth, and Garret Anderson followed with a hard shot--right at second baseman Randy Velarde, who caught it and flipped to second to double off Davis. Rex Hudler then struck out to end the inning.

Sierra’s RBI single and Mike Stanley’s two-run single off reliever Mike James gave McDowell a four-run cushion to start the ninth, but he needed relief help from John Wetteland, who retired Spike Owen and Phillips with runners on first and third.

Abbott, a 2-1 winner over Minnesota in his last start, pitched eight-plus innings, giving up six runs (all earned) on 10 hits, walking three and striking out four.

New York scored twice in the first when Boggs walked, advanced to third on Bernie Williams’ hit-and-run single and came home on O’Neill’s fielder’s choice. O’Neill later scored on Stanley’s sacrifice fly.

The Angels countered with a run in the bottom of the first when Phillips walked, Dave Gallagher doubled to left, Tim Salmon walked and Davis grounded into a double play.

They went ahead with two runs in the second. Anderson led off with a single and advanced to third on Rex Hudler’s chopper over Boggs’ head at third. Hudler took second on the throw. Anderson scored on a passed ball, and Hudler scored on Jorge Fabregas’ slow roller to second.