Finley Out at Least Three Weeks

Pitcher Chuck Finley, who fractured the bone below his right eye in a freak batting-practice accident Saturday, will be sidelined three to five weeks, Manager Terry Collins said Sunday.

With Mark Gubicza still questionable because of a sore shoulder, the Angels could open the season with a rotation of Mark Langston, Allen Watson and Jason Dickson, with Jim Abbott, Shigetoshi Hasegawa or Dennis Springer filling the final two spots.

Finley, who missed the first two weeks of spring because of shoulder tendinitis, was struck through a mesh-screen cage by a bat that slipped out of the hands of reliever Mike James.

Finley, a left-hander who was scheduled to be the Angels’ opening-day starter, has a non-displaced fracture of the floor of the right orbit. Because the bone must heal completely before Finley resumes pitching, he will be limited to no activity for seven to 10 days and minimal activity for three weeks.

Finley will need several rehabilitation starts to regain his arm strength, so he is not expected to join the Angel rotation until late April at the earliest. Second baseman Randy Velarde (strained forearm) is also doubtful for the season opener, and closer Troy Percival (back spasms) is out for a week.

“I wish someone would take the hex off this team,” James said. “They’d better check Anaheim Stadium to see if it wasn’t built on some ancient Indian burial ground.

“I know accidents happen, but I wish this didn’t happen to Chuck. He waited two weeks to finally get back on the mound, and now he’s out for a few more weeks . . . geez.”

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Angel pitchers--especially Abbott and Shad Williams--were hammered again Sunday in a 15-9 exhibition loss to Oakland in Phoenix. The Angels (5-13) have lost four straight by a combined score of 55-19, and their major league-worst team earned-run average jumped to 8.41.

“Am I at the end of my rope? I’m getting there,” Collins said after Abbott was rocked for eight runs in 2 1/3 innings and Williams was shelled for five runs in 2 1/3 innings. “Maybe I’m wrong, but I think we’re better than this.”

Abbott looked great in the first inning, striking out Scott Brosius and Jose Canseco, but he tried to nibble the corners too much in the second and third, he lost his aggressiveness and walked in two runs.

The Angels outhit the A’s, 14-13, but Oakland put the game away with an eight-run third, in which 13 came to the plate.

“Pitching is my biggest concern right now,” Collins said. “I’m not as worried about the offense--I think that’s going to be there. But our pitchers are missing a lot up in the strike zone and they’re getting hit.”

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Eddie Murray homered Sunday, his fourth hit in 28 spring at-bats (.143). . . . Minor league outfielder Mike Wolff is hitting .571 (eight for 14) since joining the Angels last week. . . . Gubicza threw off a mound again Sunday and probably will start Friday against the Colorado Rockies in Tucson. . . . Hasegawa will start against the Chicago Cubs today in Tempe.