SWEEP IN BRONX HAS PLAYOFF FLAIR MOLINA'S BLAST TURNS TIGHT GAME ANGELS 4, N.Y. YANKEES 3.

Byline: Gabe Lacques Staff Writer

NEW YORK - In a season filled with false starts and unfulfilled promise, the Angels know better than to get too excited at one weekend of achievement.

They also know there are fewer more demanding litmus tests than a late- season series at Yankee Stadium. And when they aced that test on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep with a taut 4-3 victory, there was little use downplaying the significance.

``This is a playoff team,'' said Angels closer Troy Percival, who finished off a combined four-hitter with a four-pitch save. ``You want to show you can go out and play with any of these teams, and then step on the teams with losing records.

``They're not playing their best baseball. We realize that. But you have to take advantage of that.''

Of course, failure is relative in George Steinbrenner's cash-laden land of wild expectations. The Yankees have lost six of their last seven games, creating a mini-crisis in the Bronx.

But the Angels (70-54) played no small part in the Yankees' weekend struggles, and perhaps showed they really are a playoff team themselves while pulling within a half-game of first place Oakland in the American League West.

The Angels won the season series from the Yankees and swept a three-game series from them for the first time since 1999.

They got another stellar pitching performance from blister-addled Kelvim Escobar, who gave up two runs in seven innings, struck out eight and did not allow a hit after Bernie Williams and Gary Sheffield hit RBI doubles in the third.

Bengie Molina, in just his second game off the disabled list, tied a career high with four hits and erased a 2-0 deficit by hitting a slider from Kevin Brown over the fence in left field for a three-run homer in the fifth to enhance his clutch-hitting reputation.

And the bullpen held on against the best late-inning team in baseball. Brendan Donnelly yielded a solo homer to Sheffield but struck out Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui to smooth the road for Percival, who got Jorge Posada, John Olerud and Ruben Sierra on just four pitches for his 24th save.

They won for the 13th time in 17 games, and held the vaunted Yankees lineup to four runs in three games. They're a season-high 16 games over .500. Kansas City, the worst team in the American League, awaits them at Angel Stadium tonight.

Is the run many figured this team had in it finally here?

``I think it's happening,'' Escobar said. ``Lately, the past five games, we've been hitting good, pitching good. Everybody knows how tough it is to play here.''

Gabe Lacques, [phone] gabe.lacques(at)sgvn.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo: The Angels' Bengie Molina, center, high fives Jeff DaVanon after hitting a homer in the fifth inning. Kathy Willens/Associated Press Box: ANGELS vs. KANSAS CITY - Gabe Lacques