BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Finley, Langston Eschew Extra Rest

Starters Chuck Finley and Mark Langston certainly have nothing more to prove this season to Angel management or their teammates. There are no incentives that need to be met, their contracts are fully guaranteed for 1994, and the team long has fallen out of the race.

Yet they say, there’s a thing called pride, and they informed Angel Manager Buck Rodgers they want to continue to pitch every fifth day the rest of the season.

Their argument convinced Rodgers to back off from his original plan. He decided to start Finley on Thursday, Langston on Friday, and moved back Joe Magrane’s start three days until Saturday. The changes are expected to be announced today.

“Buck told us that he was going to give us an extra day rest this week,” Finley (14-10) said, “but we told him we shouldn’t be moved back. We feel fine, and want to keep pitching on our regular turn. We want to keep going strong until the season stops.”

Finley (14-10) and Langston (14-6) still have the opportunity to win 20 games, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by an Angel since Nolan Ryan in 1974. Langston also is vying for his first ERA title, leading the league at 2.78.

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The busiest man in the Angel organization this season has been Dr. Lewis Yocum, who Tuesday oversaw the surgery on shortstop Gary DiSarcina’s right thumb, removed the plaster cast and stitches and put a walking cast on second baseman Damion Easley’s right calf, and set up an appointment to examine starter Russ Springer’s back today.

Starter Hilly Hathaway, on the disabled list with a strained left shoulder, played light toss from 75 feet away, and could begin throwing off the mound Saturday.

Pitcher Scott Lewis, who’s on the DL with a pinched labrum muscle in his right shoulder is awaiting word on whether he’ll be called up.

Catcher Greg Myers has missed the last 3 1/2 games because of soreness in the groin area, but is scheduled to start tonight.

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Triple-A Vancouver outfielder Jim Edmonds (.320, nine homers and 73 RBIs) and reliever Darryl Scott (7-0, 1.94 ERA, 15 saves) will be called up before the Angels’ Sept. 7 trip to Detroit and Toronto, Rodgers said. The Angels also are considering calling up starter John Farrell, relievers Jerry Nielsen and Lewis, and outfielder Garret Anderson. . . . Darrell Miller, the Angels’ director of community relations, was promoted Tuesday to become a special assignment scout, said Bob Fontaine, Angel scouting director.