BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Finley Stumbles, but Pitches Well

Left-hander Chuck Finley took a step forward in his recovery from surgery on his left big toe, but first, he took an ungainly step sideways.

Accustomed to starting games, Finley forgot to fill in divots dug on the mound by his predecessors when he relieved Mark Langston during the seventh inning of Sunday’s game against the Mariners.

On his first warm-up pitch of his first full-squad appearance, Finley stumbled and nearly fell when his front (right) foot dropped into a hole. Trainer Rick Smith, Manager Buck Rodgers and pitching coach Marcel Lachemann sprinted to his side, finding him embarrassed but not hurt.

“It had nothing to do with my toe--it had a lot to do with my balance,” said Finley, an 18-game winner each of the last two seasons. “I thought I heard a click in my shoulder, but it must have been my brain shifting gear.

“Lach was out there quicker than Carl Lewis. You know you’re in trouble if nobody comes out there. Then you know you’re not even a prospect.”

Finley’s prospects for starting the fourth or fifth game of the season were stronger after Sunday. He pitched two perfect innings before giving up a bunt single and two ground singles to right during the ninth. That began a seven-run rally that lifted Seattle to an 8-5 victory at Angels Stadium in Palm Springs.

The outcome was less important than testing Finley under game conditions. “After he scared me half to death, he threw the ball well and he threw strikes,” said Lachemann, who has scheduled Finley to pitch three or four innings on Thursday.

Finley, who will wear protective padding on his tender toe, was able to laugh about his mishap. “I ain’t used to relieving. I left that behind,” said Finley, who was a reliever in his minor league days. “Someone told me I made 61 appearances and never had a save. It’s 62 now.”

Ram running back Cleveland Gary’s attempt at a two-sport career was derailed when the Angels released him from his minor league contract. “He has strength and speed, but at this time we felt his skills weren’t advanced enough to believe he would play at the major league level,” said Bill Bavasi, the Angels’ director of minor league operations. “We parted company on good terms. He was a major league athlete in a minor league camp.”

Langston cruised through six innings Sunday, giving up one run in his longest and smoothest start. “I felt like I had control of everything,” said Langston, the likely opening day starter. . . . Rodgers said that Junior Felix will be the starting center fielder, with Chad Curtis and Jose Gonzalez competing for the fourth outfield job. Gonzalez furthered his cause with his second home run Sunday. . . . Angel coach Deron Johnson, who is battling lung cancer, has regained strength since doctors adjusted his medication, according to Rodgers.