ANDERSON GETS SOME ANSWERS N.Y. YANKEES 4, ANGELS 2.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Angels center fielder Garret Anderson finally got some answers to what was causing his upper back stiffness.

The Kennedy of Granada Hills product was diagnosed Wednesday with early, undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis, a condition that could keep him out for an extended period. The club has set no timetable for his return.

Anderson, out since April 21, missed his 25th game Wednesday. The Angels lost 4-2 to the New York Yankees at Angel Stadium.

Anderson consulted with team physician Craig Milhouse and rheumatologist David Brown after weeks of tests that seemed to rule out any life-threatening maladies. The arthritis will be treated with oral medication, and Anderson will begin non-weight work, such as treadmill and pool activity, within a week. That will be followed by light weight work.

That the arthritis is undifferentiated suggests doctors are still seeking answers to its origin. The hope is oral medication will alleviate the symptoms, though there are no guarantees at this point that it will.

``Hopefully, in the course of all this, something can be prescribed that will get him back to playing baseball,'' manager Mike Scioscia said before Wednesday's game.

Anderson, the club MVP three of the past four years, signed a four-year, $48 million contract extension April 13. The Angels have gone 19-6 without him, but injuries to teammates Troy Glaus, Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon have further weakened the team.

On Wednesday, a wildly inconsistent outing from John Lackey and another gaffe from third baseman Shane Halter, this one on the bases, helped the Yankees even this series.

Lackey suffered through bouts of wildness mixed in with periods of dominance. He walked six, including three to load the bases in the second, but escaped the bases-loaded situation when he caught Miguel Cairo napping on three consecutive breaking pitches.

But Jason Giambi tagged Lackey for a two-run homer in the third, and then Lackey created a mess that reliever Kevin Gregg couldn't quite escape.

With the score tied 2-2 in the sixth, Lackey gave up a one-out single to Hideki Matsui, then walked Tony Clark and pinch hitter Ruben Sierra to load the bases.

Gregg came on to face Derek Jeter and jumped ahead of him 1-2. But Jeter fouled off two pitches before taking a borderline pitch for ball four, forcing in the go-ahead run.

Gregg escaped further damage by getting Bernie Williams to pop up and striking out Alex Rodriguez.

The Angels might have had a comfortable lead were it not for another head-scratching play by Halter.

Consecutive singles by Jose Molina, Halter and Adam Kennedy produced a 2-2 tie in the fifth. But with nobody out, two runners on and David Eckstein poised to bunt and set up the heart of the order, Halter was picked off second by catcher Jorge Posada after Eckstein took a pitch.

Eckstein singled to give the Angels two runners on base, but Chone Figgins grounded into a double play to end the threat.

Gregg pitched a scoreless seventh, but Ben Weber allowed the Yankees an insurance run in the eighth on Rodriguez's double. The Angels got the tying run to the plate in the eighth, but reliever Tom Gordon got Jeff DaVanon to fly to left, ending the threat.

Jon Lieber (3-1) beat the Angels for the second time in a week, giving up seven hits and two runs. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 15th save.

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John Lackey walked six and allowed a home run to Jason Giambi on Wednesday.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

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GAME RECAP