Finley Picks Up His 11th Victory When Indians Collide in the 9th

Either way, Chuck Finley will get his day in the sun.

If the Angel left-hander is chosen for the American League All-Star team, as seems almost inevitable after he earned a 2-1 victory over the Indians Monday night and improved his record to 11-4, he will have a chance to shine with the American League’s brightest. If not, it won’t darken his day.

“If somebody thinks I deserve it, that would be nice,” Finley said, “but if they don’t pick me, I’ll just kick my feet up on the beach.”

Staked to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Devon White doubled, stole third and scored on Johnny Ray’s grounder, Finley gave it back in the second when he gave up a single to Candy Maldonado and three walks, including a bases-loaded walk to Joel Skinner. But after that, Finley kicked into high gear and didn’t allow another hit for six innings.

He did give up two more walks for a season-high five, but he left after 8 1/3 innings with a respectable four-hitter.

“That second inning was scary,” said Finley, whose start was moved up a day to give him an extra day of rest before the July 10 All-Star Game and enhance his chances of making the team for the second consecutive year. “Besides that, I got into a groove and spread my walks out a little bit.

“You don’t like to give up a lot of walks, but as far as guys getting on, there’s going to be certain days you’ve got to deal with it. How you deal with it determines your success. I didn’t have my best stuff, but I stayed with it. We got some timely hitting and a couple of clutch plays.”

The Indians’ inability to make the play on Wally Joyner’s ninth-inning fly ball enabled the Angels to leave Cleveland with a split of their four-game series and a .500 record.

Chili Davis led off the ninth with a full-count walk against reliever Jesse Orosco (3-4) and departed for pinch-runner Max Venable. Dave Winfield, sacrificing for only the second time he could remember, was credited with a hit when Orosco slipped and fell while fielding his bunt in front of the plate.

“Probably he was in shock,” Winfield said.

The Indians brought in right-hander Rudy Seanez to face Lance Parrish, who grounded into a double play. Venable took third and was off and running on Joyner’s fly to left-center.

“I looked around and all I saw was the ball on the ground and somebody lying down,” Venable said. “Then I gave a sigh of relief.”

He missed seeing Mitch Webster, the center fielder, catch the ball and lose it when he bumped into left fielder Maldonado, who was charged with the error.

“Candy might have had it standing still. He called for it, but I couldn’t hear him, then I called for it and he couldn’t get out of my way,” Webster said.

Maldonado was contrite. “When I heard him, it was too late,” he said. “I’m going for the ball and I had nowhere to go. He’s a center fielder and I’ve got to let him take that because you don’t want to have a collision. Unfortunately, his arm hit my chest.”

Finley, who lowered his earned-run average to 2.50, also encountered some bumps en route to his victory. With runners on first and third in the second inning, Cleveland Manager John McNamara asked umpiring crew chief Jim McKean to inspect the batting gloves in Finley’s back pocket.

“I don’t know if he was doing it because he thought I was doctoring the ball, but I wouldn’t know how to doctor it,” Finley said. “I don’t think I need to at this point of my career. All I need on the ball are my fingers. Maybe he was trying to disturb me.”

It seemed to work, because Finley walked Cory Snyder and Skinner to force in a run. An outstanding running catch by Ray on Felix Fermin’s soft liner--and Ray’s quick flip to second to double off Snyder--got Finley out of the inning and bought him time to retrench.

“When it first went up I didn’t know how high it was,” Ray said, “but it stayed up long enough. I didn’t know how important it was going to be.”

Angel Notes

Catcher-first baseman Bill Schroeder, who opened the season on the disabled list because of problems after surgery on his right elbow, was activated Monday. To make room for him, catcher John Orton was optioned to triple-A Edmonton. Orton played in 25 games and hit .171 with one home run and four RBIs. “Billy Schroeder’s fine and John needs to go and try to incorporate some of the instruction he received here,” Angel Manager Doug Rader said. . . . Infielder Donnie Hill had a cast placed on his left foot after he fouled a ball off it in the seventh inning. X-rays will be taken today if it’s still swollen. . . . Pitcher Greg Minton, eligible to be activated off the disabled list following elbow surgery, threw two simulated innings Monday and is impatient to get back into action. “I don’t know what they’re looking for. This is the best I’m going to do,” Minton said. Rader said Minton will throw twice more and won’t be activated before Friday, when the Angels reach Milwaukee.