A Fine Outing for Finley as Angels Win

In preparation of Chuck Finley’s first home start of the 1988 season Wednesday night, the Angels’ publicity staff culled these nuggets for their pregame biographical sheet on the young left-hander:

Allowed only one stolen base in seven attempts last season, the lowest rate in the AL (minimum five attempts). . . . Angels owned 2-30 record in games he relieved, with Finley recording both victories. . . . Is one of three pitchers in the majors with 20-plus relief appearances in each of the last two seasons with no saves in either. The others: Nate Snell and Ed Vande Berg.

Yep, some choice stuff for the Finley family scrap book.

But that was before Wednesday night, before Finley shut out the Chicago White Sox for seven innings en route to a 5-2 Angel victory in front of 22,765 at Anaheim Stadium. That was before Finley scattered five hits through eight-plus innings, struck out a career-high seven batters and lowered his earned-run average for the season to 1.93.

Finley has something worth clipping and saving now.

The longest outing of Finley’s professional baseball career produced his first victory as a starter and the Angels’ third consecutive victory, bringing the club back to .500 at 4-4. It also was the most impressive outing by an Angel fifth starter since Ron Romanick’s rookie season in 1984.

Already, in one game, Finley has outpitched Urbano Lugo and Ray Chadwick.

Finley didn’t allow a hit until Harold Baines’ single in the fourth inning and was working on a two-hitter entering the eighth inning. There, he surrendered a solo home run to Fred Manrique and a single to Gary Redus. He tried to pitch the ninth, too, but didn’t get far--walking Ozzie Guillen and yielding another single to Baines.

At that point, Angel Manager Cookie Rojas chose not to press this extraordinary good fortune and called on DeWayne Buice to finish the affair. Buice gave up a run-scoring single to Ivan Calderon before retiring the last three hitters in order to earn his second save in three games.

After two appearances, Finley (1-1) has the best numbers among the Angels’ starting pitchers and is proving to be more than just a left-handed arm in the team’s rotation.

“I know that’s what gave me my chance,” Finley said. “People were looking at me as the only left- hander. (But) I knew that once I got my mechanics right, I could be someone the Angels could count on every day, someone who could give the team a chance to win.”

Toward that end, Finley spent last winter with Rojas in the Dominican Winter League, learning to pitch out of a full windup, learning to start and learning to land on the mound with his front foot pointing toward home plate--rather than off to the side.

That one little change, Finley professes, has made a world of difference.

“I always knew I had the stuff to pitch in the big leagues,” Finley said, “but my problem was always with control. Before, I was coming out of my windup and landing with my foot pointing toward the on-deck circle. I’d been doing that all my life. I didn’t know how much better control I could get by doing it the other way.

“I found myself, more or less, in winter ball. I knew this was going to be my year--where I’d either make myself or fall back and start letting other people pass me by. Before I left for winter ball, Lach (Angel pitching coach Marcel Lachemann) got in my face and told me, ‘You get down there and you’ll get the ball every fourth day. You either do it there--or you don’t.’

“I took it to myself to do it.”

According to Rojas, who managed Finley at La Romana, Finley returned a new pitcher.

“I told Lach before spring training, ‘You’re going to see a different pitcher,’ ” Rojas said. “He pitched a lot of 1-0, 2-1 games down there. He pitched the same way as he pitched tonight. This was no surprise.”

Finley also pitched this way last week, when he wound up a 2-1 loser to the White Sox in Chicago. And he was wondering if he was in for the same Wednesday, with the score tied, 0-0, entering the seventh inning.

But in the seventh, the Angel offense finally broke through against Chicago starter Dave LaPoint as Devon White drew a two-out walk and Jack Howell hit a two-run home run, his second in as many nights.

An inning later, the Angels added three more runs--two coming on a home run by Chili Davis--to give Finley a 5-1 lead entering the top of the ninth.

Angel Notes

Outfielder Chili Davis gave Angel Manager Cookie Rojas high marks after his first week on the job. “I really like playing for Cookie,” Davis said. “He’s the type of manager who puts up the lineup and says, ‘Go out and play.’ All he asks is that you give 100%. Roger (Craig, San Francisco manager) was similar in some ways, but he wanted to control the game more. I think Cookie will start to (exert) more control. Right now, he’s just learning to adjust to the team, and we’re learning to adjust to him as a manager.”

Brian Downing went 0 for 2 with two walks Wednesday, extending his hitless streak to 17 official at-bats and lowering his batting average to .053. Downing’s last, and only, hit this season was an infield single on Opening Day in Chicago. . . . Infielder Tim Hulett refused to report to triple-A Vancouver when the White Sox cut him during spring training, so Wednesday, Chicago turned the problem over to the Montreal Expos, trading Hulett in exchange for either a player to be named or cash. Hulett has been assigned to Montreal’s triple-A team in Indianapolis. Hulett, 28, batted .239 in 2 1/2 seasons with Chicago. Terms of the deal guarantee the White Sox receiving compensation no later than June 1. . . . The Angels close their first home stand of the season with a day game today. Kirk McCaskill will oppose Melido Perez in a game starting at 1:30 p.m.