Angels’ Finley Regains His Form

Chuck Finley gave up only four earned runs in six starts during May, a stretch of domination unheard of in this, the era of the booming bat.

But then a June gloom rolled over him and he was rendered merely another contributor to inflated hitting statistics, giving up four or more runs in each of his next nine starts.

Then, as mysteriously as it had disappeared, Finley regained that magic touch Monday night. The forkball dipped, the fastball sailed, the curveball snapped and the Tigers flailed.

The Angel offense didn’t fare much better against right-hander Omar Olivares, scratching out only four hits, but Jim Edmonds’ solo homer was all they needed for a 1-0 victory before 16,336 at Anaheim Stadium.

Finley struck out seven--reaching the 1,500-strikeout plateau when he fanned Brad Ausmus in the fifth inning--and did not walk a batter until he lost Mark Lewis on a 3-and-2 pitch with two out in the eighth inning.

It was his last pitch of the night. Manager Marcel Lachemann summoned Troy Percival, who picked up his 26th save, but not before a few hearts skipped beats in the Angel dugout when Travis Fryman and Cecil Fielder hit drives to the warning track.

“I’ve looked at a lot of tape trying to figure out what I’ve been doing wrong, and it seemed like it always came down to three bad pitches,” Finley said. “I had been going for the corners and getting into counts where I had to come in over the plate, so tonight I tried to stay aggressive and keep ahead.”

The eighth inning had all the signs of a here-we-go-again 1996 Angel moment.

Finley struck out Andujar Cedeno, and then Kimera Bartee reached first when he hit a line shot that was in Finley’s glove momentarily before dropping at his feet. Bartee stole second before Chad Curtis grounded to short.

The walk to Lewis brought on Percival, who stood frozen as Fryman ripped a fastball to deep left field. Darin Erstad made the catch in front of the Angel bullpen.

“Travis’ ball didn’t sound that good,” Finley said, “but the way the ball has been jumping out of this park, I didn’t know what might happen.”

The ninth was another exercise in breath-holding. Fielder led off with a bomb that Edmonds caught with his back against the 386 sign in right-center field. Pinch-hitter Bobby Higginson followed with a high fly ball to left and Melvin Nieves struck out.

“I was thinking about getting back there to go up [the wall] after it,” Edmonds said, “but I guess Cecil didn’t get all of it.”

Matched against the worst team in baseball, the slumping Angels appeared as if they were going to out-inept the Tigers in the early innings. They loaded the bases in the first inning and came away without a run after Edmonds, J.T. Snow and Randy Velarde struck out.

Detroit third base coach Terry Francona managed to one-up them in the second. So impressed with Fielder’s mobility as he lumbered down the line to beat out a swinging bunt, Francona sent him home on Ausmus’ double to left field.

Gary DiSarcina’s relay beat Fielder to the plate by 60 feet or so, giving catcher Jorge Fabregas time to contemplate the impending collision.

But Fielder tried a tricky fade-away slide, missed home by about 10 feet and was an easy out.

The Tigers messed up a chance to tie the game with another baserunning blunder in the fourth inning.

Lewis reached first base on an error and Fryman singled. Fielder hit a rocket to center field, but Edmonds ran it down and made the catch while slamming into the wall. Lewis who was almost halfway to third base, sauntered over to third without tagging up. The Angels threw to second, but umpire Joe Brinkman made no call.

Finley’s appeal at second base was upheld after Lachemann’s argument.