Angels, Finley Come Up Short : Baseball: Hard-throwing Randy Johnson escapes bases-loaded jam in fifth inning and Mariners hang on for 3-2 victory.

Conventional wisdom says the Angels can’t beat their way out of a wet paper sack. But they don’t play in a shopping bag, they play in the American League West and anything seems possible.

The Angels’ 3-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday at Anaheim Stadium proved the point, although not entirely the way they hoped.

First and foremost, the Angels showed they need to give more offensive support to left-hander Chuck Finley if he is to win this season. And Finley learned he must be almost perfect to beat Seattle’s Randy Johnson.

Second, the Angels found out it was possible to load the bases with no outs against Johnson, but still come away scoreless.

Third, they proved they could strike out Ken Griffey Jr. three times in a row and still lose.

A victory would have given the Angels (6-5) the lead in the sad-sack AL West, but Sunday’s loss left them pondering the future and what it will take to better contend with Seattle, Oakland and Texas. The first-place Mariners are 7-3 and off to the best start in franchise history. The second-place Angels won two of three from Seattle, lost two of three against Oakland and play Texas as their nine-game homestand against division rivals continues Tuesday.

Sunday, Seattle won the pitchers’ duel between Finley and Johnson and made the most of a fifth-inning scoring threat. The Angels’ only runs came on a run-scoring groundout in the sixth and J.T. Snow’s solo home run in the ninth.

The Angels fizzled in the pivotal fifth. Snow led off with a single. Andy Allanson walked and Gary DiSarcina beat out a bunt to load the bases. But Johnson escaped with Seattle’s 3-0 lead intact.

Tony Phillips’ tapper to the mound forced Snow at the plate, Damion Easley lined out and Rex Hudler struck out.

“That was possibly the turning point of the game,” said Johnson, who had nine strikeouts in winning his fifth consecutive game at Anaheim Stadium.

Hudler, Johnson’s roommate when they played together in the Montreal Expos’ farm system, agreed.

“When he’s throwing 100 m.p.h. and 89 on his sliders, you know you’re only going to get one pitch to hit,” Hudler said. “There was only one pitch I could have done anything with. I missed it. I’ll get him next time. I could sit for a month and be ready for that guy. When he struck me out he started barking at me. He’s a good competitor. You’ve got to love it, man.”

Finley, 0-3 with a 3.79 earned-run average, misfired on his chance to hold Seattle scoreless in the top of the fifth.

After Edgar Martinez doubled to start the inning, Mike Blowers grounded a ball to Snow’s right. He flipped to a hard-charging but late-arriving Finley. Finley slammed into Blowers, falling to the turf, the ball bounced into the Mariner dugout and Martinez scored.

“If I had the ball we would have gotten him out,” Finley said. “I was a little late.”

Tino Martinez then delivered a two-run homer and the Mariners had a three-run lead.

“When I approached Martinez I was still trying to figure out what went wrong (on the play at first),” Finley said. “I thought I was ready, but I wasn’t really ready.”

Finley pitched just well enough to lose. In three starts, he has lost by scores of 5-4, 2-0 and 3-2. He refused to blame the loss on lack of support, but instead gave credit to Johnson, 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA.

“Johnson’s tough,” Finley said. “You can’t give up many runs against him. You don’t want to give up many runs against anybody but against somebody like Johnson even a couple is too many.

“I know if I keep pitching like that I’m going to win some games. I don’t want to start the season in a hole like this (0-3), but if I keep throwing like that it’ll turn around for me.”