Disneyland, Anaheim's most famous attraction, is known as the happiest place on Earth.
The Yankees should try going there on their next visit to Southern California because their current travel plan brings them on an annual visit to the unhappiest place on Earth. It's better known as Angel Stadium and it is a place where the Yankees have won just 11 of 36 games while losing every regular season series they've played there since 2004.
On Tuesday night, the problem was a familiar one for the Yankees. They couldn't get a hit with the bases loaded.
Robinson Cano ended both the third and ninth innings by striking out with the bases loaded, extending the team's streak of futility in those situations to one hit in their last 34 at-bats and helping them to a 5-1 loss. It's a stark change in fortunes for a team that was so productive in those situations last season.
Hitting frustration wasn't limited to the inability to get hits with runners in scoring position, however. Nick Swisher had to leave the stadium wondering how he got on the bad side of the baseball fates.
Swisher was robbed once by Mike Trout and twice by Peter Bourjos on well-struck balls to the outfield, the kind of night that leaves you racking your brain to figure out why karma has turned on you so dramatically. On another night in another town, a couple of those balls fall in for Swisher but there's something about Anaheim that brings out the worst results in the Yankees just about every time they take the field.
Just look at Andy Pettitte for further illustration of that. Pettitte looked strong for much of his fourth start of the season, keeping the ball down and keeping the Angels from building rallies, but he made two mistakes that allowed the Angels to feast.
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The first was a two-run homer by Albert Pujols and the second was a solo shot by Mark Trumbo, enough for the Angels to win the game and smudge Pettitte's comeback after a pair of very strong performances. An unfortunate way for things to unfold, but that's not really anything new for the Yankees when they make their way to Anaheim.
"Chinatown" was set in a different part of California, but the famous last line -- "Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." -- fits all the same after another night when the only Yankee luck was bad.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City. You can follow him on Twitter and he is also a contributor to Pro Football Talk.
