Finley’s Three-Hitter Completes the Picture

So Chuck Finley wasn’t facing the most awesome lineup in the history of the Baltimore Orioles. So it was a lineup that included two players who didn’t even have batting averages yet.

The Angels, riding a five-game losing streak, were in a position to take what they could get, and what they got was a three-hit shutout from Finley and a 6-0 victory in front of 22,803 in Anaheim Stadium Tuesday night.

The complete game was the Angels’ first of the season, as well as the first since Sept. 28 of last season, a victory by Bert Blyleven over Kansas City. And it was pure tonic to the Angels.

“A shutout has a nice settling effect on things,” Manager Doug Rader said.

The Angels ended a dismal stretch that had dropped them 9 1/2 games behind Oakland in the AL West. But at least they kept the deficit in single digits.

Finley (4-2) struck out six and lowered his earned-run average to 1.58, and called his outing “pretty decent.” Baltimore Manager Frank Robinson called it less that that, in an odd twist of a compliment.

“He was hittable tonight,” Robinson said. “That was the worst stuff I’ve seen in him against us. He’s usually very dominant against us, but tonight I thought he was beatable.

“He wasn’t sharp at all, I didn’t think, but that’s just because I’ve seen him so dominant.”

If he was beatable, the Orioles were not the ones to do it. Starting pitcher Jeff Ballard (0-5) gave up a two-run homer to Chili Davis in the first inning, a solo homer to Wally Joyner in the fourth and a two-run shot to Brian Downing in the fifth, and was charged with the sixth run.

“I didn’t give the team a chance tonight,” Ballard said.

Finley faced a lineup that didn’t include a player batting higher than .250, and that included two players with no at-bats--much-traveled outfielder Brad Komminsk and infielder David Segui, who arrived from triple-A Rochester Tuesday.

The Orioles’ .230 batting average is last in the league.

But that didn’t make the victory any less sweet for Finley and the Angels.

The shutout was the Angels’ fourth of the season, the others all by two or more pitchers.

Finley didn’t allow a hit over the first 4 1/3 innings, facing the minimum of 13 batters. Randy Milligan, who walked to lead off the second, was the only baserunner, but Finley struck out Komminsk and got Segui to ground into a double play.

It was Komminsk who got to Finley in the fifth inning for the Orioles’ first hit, dropping a ball into shallow right over the head of second baseman Donnie Hill. But Finley once again got Segui to ground into a double play, ending the inning.

The Angels’ recently unreliable offense didn’t make Finley sweat it out, either, staking him to a comfortable lead all the way.

Finley’s biggest worry was whether he would get the opportunity for his first complete game since July 20 of last season.

“He was right on the bubble,” Rader said. “The last pitch was 131 and that was about it. We wanted to give him an opportunity to finish the ballgame and pitch the shutout. But 130 to 135, that was about it.

Finley realized that.

“I looked in the sixth inning. (Mark Langston) was keeping the chart. He had 92 pitches. I looked at the scoreboard, and it had three more frames, and I said this might be close. I can count in my head. You get to a certain point and the red light goes off in the dugout.” Finley looked toward Rader’s office. “That’s when you make sure you pitch a quick inning and stay away from him when you come in the dugout.”

With two out in the seventh, third baseman Jack Howell, in the game as a defensive replacement, booted Komminsk’s grounder, putting him safely on first.

Next up was Segui, theretofore reliable for an easy grounder, but this time he dropped a ball into shallow right. It turned into a double, and Finley faced runners on second and third. But he got out of trouble when Mike Devereaux grounded to second.

Downing, restored to his leadoff position for at least one game after not making an appearance in the past nine games, led off the game with a walk.

Two batters and two outs later, Chili Davis, restored to his position in left field after a series of starts at DH, hit Ballard’s first pitch over the wall in left, giving the Angels a 2-0 lead. The homer was Davis’ third of the season.

The Angels didn’t get another hit until the fourth inning, but it was another homer, a solo shot by Wally Joyner to right-center, his third.

Downing marked his territory more clearly in the fifth, with a two-run homer to center estimated at 425 feet. The homer, Downing’s second, drove in Kent Anderson, who had singled to lead off the inning.

“I thought what Downing did tonight was extremely impressive,” Rader said.

Ballard didn’t last much longer after giving up his third homer of the game. He was pulled after a two-out double to Davis and a walk to Joyner. Brian Holton came on in relief to face Dante Bichette, who singled to left-center, driving in Davis.

Ballard left, but not Finley.

“I told (Rader), if you take me out you’re going to have to fight me. They might knock me out, but I don’t want you to take me out.

“We won the game. I hope this is a turn toward getting something going.”

Angel Notes

Brian Downing’s first appearance in 10 games was one feature of an Angel lineup that included three infielders who played in fewer than 100 major-league games last season: Second baseman Donnie Hill (zero), third baseman Rick Schu (99) and shortstop Kent Anderson (86). “My stance on the lineup is this,” Manager Doug Rader said. “I’m going to on a daily basis attempt to put the very best team out there. Every single game I try to select our people who can do their best job on that day.” Downing’s role has been diminished since the trade for Luis Polonia April 29, and remains a sensitive issue. Downing returned to the lineup at designated hitter, batting leadoff and displacing Polonia at the top of the order for the first time since Polonia’s first start last Thursday. Downing was six for 14 against Oriole starter Jeff Ballard before the game. Polonia, who bats left-handed, was hitless in four at-bats against Ballard, a left-hander. . . . Catcher Lance Parrish returned to the lineup after sitting out three games with a sore knee. . . . Second baseman Johnny Ray underwent a magnetic resonance imaging test and a CAT scan on his sore right shoulder at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood. The tests were negative, and he will continue being treated for bursitis of the right shoulder. Ray received an injection Tuesday, and is expected to be out of the lineup for a day or two.

Oriole designated hitter Sam Horn was placed on the 15-day disabled list after spraining his right shoulder on a play at the plate in the seventh inning Monday.