Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter give Yankees 2-0 lead after 3 innings in ALCS Game 2

Cano, Jeter give Yankees 2-0 lead in ALCS Game 2

NEW YORK — Robinson Cano’s run-scoring triple and Derek Jeter’s solo homer gave the New York Yankees a 2-0 lead over the Los Angeles Angels after three innings Saturday on another bitterly raw night in the AL championship series.

Coming off a 4-1 victory in Friday night’s opener, the Yankees were trying to take a two-game lead as the best-of-seven series heads to the warmth of southern California.

A.J. Burnett, following up on CC Sabathia’s eight innings of four-hit ball, started nine of his first 10 batters with strikes. He allowed just one hit through three innings, a bloop two-out double by Torii Hunter in the first. Vladimir Guerrero then grounded out.

Angels starter Joe Saunders, who hadn’t pitched since Oct. 4, retired his first five batters before walking Nick Swisher on five pitches. Cano then reached out for an 0-2 pitch and drove it to right-center to score Swisher. Not that it made a difference for the suddenly sloppy Angels, who made three errors the previous night, but second baseman Maicer Izturis dropped the relay throw.

Jeter, 7 for 15 against Saunders coming in, hit an opposite-field homer a few rows into the right-field seats with one out in the third. With 19 postseason homers, Jeter moved past former Yankees Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson into sole possession of third place, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Manny Ramirez (29) and former Yankees teammate Bernie Williams (22).

After a scheduled travel day Monday, the series was set to resume Tuesday afternoon in Anaheim with Jered Weaver pitching for the Angels against Andy Pettitte. The Yankees appeared set to bring back Sabathia on three days’ rest for Game 4 the following day, but manager Joe Girardi wouldn’t commit.

“We’ll talk about it,” he said, “if we know we get through this game and what’s going to happen to our rotation. We have an off day to prepare what we’re going to do.”

Weaver won Game 2 of the first round against Boston, allowing one run and two hits in 7 1-3 innings. Pettitte got the victory in the clincher of the Yankees’ sweep of Minnesota, giving up one run and three hits in 6 1-3 innings.

However, there was a chance of a schedule change. Rain was forecast for later Saturday, and under a rules change adopted after last year’s storm-disrupted World Series in Philadelphia, no postseason game can be shortened. Instead, it would be suspended and then resumed the following day, or whenever the weather cleared.

It was 47 degrees at gametime, 2 degrees warmer than on Friday, but it was again blustery, with a 15 mph wind from the north-northeast and gusts up to 23 mph that made the ceremonial red-white-and-blue bunting flap.

Mark Teixeira, Johnny Damon and Swisher again wore Elmer Fudd-style caps with ear flaps, and Cano had on a ski mask. Alex Rodriguez remained the only Yankees starter in short sleeves

Angels shortstop Erick Aybar went without the hood he wore in the opener, when he allowed a popup to drop between himself and third baseman Chone Figgins. Izturis, who didn’t start in the opener, wore a hood.

Saunders, like John Lackey the night before, was in short sleeves.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg sat in the front row to the third-base side of the plate, and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani sat in the first row to the plate side of the Yankees’ dugout.

Jose Molina started at catcher for the Yankees in place of Jorge Posada, just as Molina did when Burnett started the second game of the division series against Minnesota.

Figgins struck out leading off the game, dropping to 0 for 17 in the postseason. He walked with two outs in the third but was stranded when Bobby Abreu flied out.