Despite Colon, Montero, Yanks strike out

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With a bullpen he described as "beat up" coming into Friday night, Joe Girardi hoped for a long outing from Bartolo Colon.

"We need some distance out of him," Girardi said before the game.

Colon, who has had his share of struggles of late, gave Girardi exactly what he wanted, giving up an unearned run -- coming after a Derek Jeter error -- in seven innings.

But AL Cy Young Award candidate Jered Weaver was just as good and the game became a matchup of bullpens.

David Robertson did his job with a scoreless eighth but first Aaron Laffey and then Luis Ayala didn't do theirs, leading to a 2-1 loss to the Angels in front of 41,014 at Angel Stadium.

"We've used [Rafael] Soriano a lot; we didn't feel we could go to him," Girardi said afterward of using Laffey and Ayala in the ninth inning of a tie game. "We've used Cory Wade four out of five days. It's just what it is."

Additionally, lefthander Boone Logan said after the game that he's going through a bit of a "dead arm" period and wasn't available Friday night and likely won't be Saturday night.

"Playing all these days in a row and all these tight games, you get into this," Girardi said.

The Yankees (87-56) stayed 2 ½ games ahead of the Red Sox, who lost to the Rays. The Angels (79-65) stayed 2 ½ games behind the Rangers.

The Yankees' lone run off Weaver, who allowed one run and three hits in eight innings, came from Jesus Montero. The rookie, getting his first start against a righthander, homered in the third to make it 1-0.

"It was a fastball in," said Montero, who has three homers and six RBIs in six games. "It feels good. I know he's a good pitcher. [Hitting coach] Kevin Long told me that he [Weaver] knows how to throw the ball over every spot on the plate. I just made a good swing on the ball."

Alberto Callaspo led off the ninth with an infield single off Laffey and, after Jeremy Moore came in as a pinch runner, Ayala allowed a single to Vernon Wells, putting runners at first and third. Ayala then hit Peter Bourjos to load the bases, bringing up pinch hitter Maicer Izturis, whose fly ball to center brought in Moore to win it.

Colon, winless in his last seven starts, allowed one unearned run and six hits in seven innings before giving way to Robertson in the eighth. Colon, who lowered his ERA to 3.55 from 3.72, struck out five and walked one, pitching the night with an upset stomach.

"All game my stomach was bothering me," Colon said. "It's still bothering me now."

The outing was characteristic of some of his better starts during the season's first half, when he went 6-4 with a 3.20 ERA.

"My sinker was really, really good," Colon said.

Weaver, coming off outings in which he allowed seven and six runs, respectively, struck out 11, his second-highest total of the season.

"He's a handful," Jeter said of Weaver.

The Yankees led 1-0 until the Angels tied it on an unearned run in the fifth. Wells grounded out to start the inning and Bourjos reached with a bunt single toward third, the centerfielder's 15th bunt single of the season. Catcher Jeff Mathis followed with a grounder to short, where Jeter fielded the ball cleanly, but his throw pulled Mark Teixeira off the bag. Jeter's 10th error of the season put runners at first and second. Erick Aybar followed with a grounder to first, which turned into a 3-6 fielder's choice. Howie Kendrick, who has done his share of damage against the Yankees over the years, lined Colon's 2-and-2 pitch opposite-field down the rightfield line for a single that brought in Bourjos to make it 1-1.

"I gave them an extra out throwing that ball away," Jeter said. "It's a situation where I threw the ball high and it cost us a run."

Of Colon, Jeter said: "He was outstanding . . . He really didn't get into any trouble until I put him there."