Fans Prefer Game on TV to Live, as Angels, Finley Lose to Indians

The 21,049 fans at Anaheim Stadium expected to see a pitching spectacle Wednesday night with Chuck Finley starting for the Angels, and they weren’t disappointed.

They just didn’t expect it to unfold on the message board.

While the familiar scene of former Angel Nolan Ryan finishing a no-hitter played on the board that looms over left field, the unfamiliar scene of Finley struggling played out on the field.

Finley’s attempt to become the first five-game winner in the majors was unsuccessful, as he walked six in the Angels’ 5-1 loss to Cleveland.

Finley (4-1) undermined his cause with an errant pickoff throw in the Indians’ two-run flurry in the third inning. He also walked former Dodger Mike Huff four times and yielded a two-run home run to Albert Belle in the first inning.

Finley walked six in 6 1/3 innings, an unusually high total for him. Huff, who entered the game with a .222 batting average, walked six times in his previous seven games.

In losing for the seventh time in nine games, the Angels mustered only five hits off Tom Candiotti (3-1). They scored in the fourth on a double by Wally Joyner, an infield hit by Dave Winfield and a sacrifice fly by Gary Gaetti.

Candiotti used his off-speed pitches to repeatedly baffle the Angels, striking out nine.

But by far the loudest cheers of the night were awarded to Ryan, after the fans watched a replay of the ninth inning of his no-hitter at Arlington, Tex.

The Indians got to Finley for two runs in the first on Belle’s home run, the first time in five starts Finley has given up runs in the first inning and the first time Finley trailed in a game this season.

Huff led off with a walk on a full count. Mark Lewis flied to center and Carlos Baerga forced Huff at second before Belle homered, a blast measured at 412 feet to center field.

The Angels took advantage of Candiotti’s wildness to get a runner as far as third in the second inning, but they couldn’t get him home. Gaetti was hit with a pitch, moved to second when Candiotti’s first pitch to Lance Parrish eluded catcher Sandy Alomar and to third when the one-and-one pitch also got away, but Parrish flied out to left to end the inning.

Their inability to get that run in cost the Angels in the third, when Finley had control problems. But he wasn’t the only Angel guilty of making errant throws. Finley and Parrish committed errors in the inning, allowing the Indians to score two runs on one hit and take a 4-0 lead.

Again, Huff led off with a walk. He moved to second when Finley’s second pitch to Lewis was high and outside, sailing to the screen. He took third when Finley’s attempted pickoff throw bounced into center field, and after Lewis struck out, scored on Baerga’s single up the middle.

Trying to be cautious with Belle, Finley walked him, moving Baerga to second. Baerga scored when Parrish’s throw to first to hold Belle close got past first baseman Joyner. Parrish pounded his fist against his leg in frustration.