Struggles in Anaheim? Angels are good

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Joe Girardi had a simple explanation for the Yankees' difficulties in Anaheim in recent years, a record that dipped to 8-21 since 2005 with Friday night's 3-2 loss.

"As I tell everyone, they're a good team,'' Girardi said before Saturday night's game. "This has been one of the better teams in the AL West over the last 10 years.''

The Yankees, 4-12 at Angels Stadium since 2008, have not won a road series here since 2004, when they went 2-1. The Yankees generally have struggled against the Angels, going 45-55 since 2000, their only losing record against any AL team in that span. They went 4-4 against the Angels last season and 5-5 in 2009 on the heels of five straight losing season series from 2004-08. Of course, in the teams' most significant matchup in recent years, the Yankees won the 2009 ALCS, 4-2.

"There's a lot of teams that come out here and struggle,'' Girardi said. "This is a club that's won 100 games, they win 95 games. They've beaten a lot of people.''

Still going

Discussion surrounding the collision at the plate between the Marlins' Scott Cousins and Giants catcher Buster Posey on May 26 that cost Posey the season has continued, fanned in part by Giants general manager Brian Sabean's comments on radio this past week. Cousins reportedly has received death threats.

"I'm a little bit surprised,'' former catcher Girardi said of the topic's shelf life.

"Baseball's been played hard for a long time. Second basemen get taken out, catchers get run over. I was run over. I just think that it's a great young player that people were counting on and that's probably why it's gotten so much coverage. I'm a little bit surprised . It's part of the game.

"I think our game has gotten away from some of that. Why? I don't know why. I think guys try to do more creative slides now and you see guys sliding and trying to touch it with their hand, going around the plate. And guys don't block the plate as much, either.''