New York @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( May 5, 2014 ) NY Yankees 1, LA Angels 4

The New York Yankees may not be in the most charitable mood Tuesday against the host Los Angeles Angels, who won Monday's series opener 4-1 after scoring three runs on six walks in the eighth inning. Manager Joe Girardi and reliever Shawn Kelley were both ejected as the Yankees were held to one run for the second straight contest and lost for the fifth time in their last six games. The Yankees’ lone bright spot was the play of shortstop Derek Jeter, who snapped a 3-for-30 slump with two hits.

Angels rookie C.J. Cron went 5-for-9 with two RBIs in his first two games with the team before hitting cleanup Monday and creating speculation about veteran Raul Ibanez’s role. The 41-year-old designated hitter is batting .144 with 30 strikeouts in his first 90 at-bats, but manager Mike Scioscia said there should be enough at-bats for both Cron and Ibanez moving forward. “Raul’s going to play,” he told MLB.com. “We need him to find his way and hit. But on occasional days, we’re going to mix and match a little bit.”

TV: 10:05 p.m. ET, YES (New York), FSN West (Los Angeles)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Yankees RH Hiroki Kuroda (2-3, 5.14 ERA) vs. Angels LH C.J. Wilson (4-2, 3.18)

Kuroda is hoping to improve on his last outing against the Angels on April 25, when he allowed a career-high eight runs (six earned) in 4 2/3 innings in a 13-1 loss. Girardi said Kuroda took a step in the right direction last Thursday, when the 39-year-old yielded four runs (three earned) over six frames against Seattle. Albert Pujols is 8-for-25 with two homers against Kuroda, who is winless in his last nine road starts (0-7).

Wilson is coming off a stellar outing against the Indians last Wednesday, when he threw eight innings of one-run ball on two hits and one walk with eight strikeouts. Jeter is 9-for-23 with a home run against the 33-year-old, who is 4-3 with a 3.04 ERA in 26 career games (nine starts) against the Yankees. Wilson, who has thrown at least 111 pitches in each of his six starts, went 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts against New York last season.

WALK-OFFS

1. New York is expected to activate INF Brendan Ryan from the disabled list before Tuesday’s game. Ryan has been out since spring training with a cervical spine nerve injury.

2. The Angels optioned INF Luis Jimenez to Triple-A Salt Lake and recalled RHP Cory Rasmus.

3. The Yankees have lost 27 of 40 games in Anaheim since 2005.

PREDICTION: Angels 8, Yankees 3