BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Not Much Is Bouncing Stevens’ Way

Lee Stevens knew he’d be in an unenviable position this season, succeeding fan favorite Wally Joyner as the Angels’ first baseman. He just didn’t expect to hear chants of “Wal-ly” so soon--but he also didn’t expect to deal with a barrage of bouncing throws that contributed to 12 errors in the Angels’ first five games.

“I’m weathering a storm right now. A big storm,” Stevens said before Saturday night’s game. “In fact, I think it’s a tornado.”

Stevens has been charged with only one error, on Steve Sax’s grounder that rolled between his legs Wednesday. But he has become a target of boos because he hasn’t been able to scoop short-hop throws, as Joyner so often did.

“It wasn’t anything I haven’t caught in the past. It’s mental. I’m trying to be perfect,” Stevens said. “The fans aren’t seeing me, they’re seeing something else, and I’ve got to be me. Even my best out there might not be as good as Wally, but if I play the best I can, I can look at myself in the mirror every day.

“Everybody’s a little tight. We played good defense all spring and in the Freeway Series, but it’s all hit the fan now, so to speak, maybe because the games started to count and it’s the official season. The thing is, we all know how well we can play, and playing like this is burning us up.”

Chuck Finley will throw on the side before today’s game to determine whether he will be put on the disabled list. Finley hasn’t thrown since he hyper-extended his left big toe last Sunday. “We’ll be watching his delivery, his face and the spin on the ball, all the things that are telltale signs of whether he’s in pain,” Manager Buck Rodgers said. “If we see any of those things, then we won’t even ask him how he feels. If we don’t see them, we’ll use him as a sounding board.”

Rodgers planned to avoid using reliever Scott Bailes, who has a hip pointer. Joe Grahe was to work an inning Saturday instead of throwing on the side, as he would normally do between starts. . . . With 11 errors in their first four games, the Angels matched their 20-game total of last season.