Gubicza Set to Pitch, Others Getting Healthy

It’s a safe bet Manager Terry Collins will never be as happy after a regular-season loss as he was Monday. Yes, the Angels dropped their fifth straight exhibition game, this one to the Chicago Cubs, 8-1, in Tempe Diablo Stadium, but there was plenty for Collins to smile about.

Mark Gubicza, who hasn’t pitched in a game for two weeks because of a sore shoulder, will return to the mound Friday. Randy Velarde, out the last nine days because of a strained forearm, has been cleared to resume throwing at the end of the week.

Closer Troy Percival, who suffered severe back spasms and numbness in his arm Wednesday, will pitch Thursday. Pitcher Chuck Finley, who fractured the bone below his right eye Saturday, is confident his absence will be closer to the short end of his three-to-five-week prognosis.

And the Angels finally got a quality performance out of a starting pitcher, as Shigetoshi Hasegawa, moving a variety of breaking pitches around the strike zone, gave up three runs--two earned--on six hits in five innings against the Cubs.

“As tough as things have been the last 10 days,” Collins said, “there is some light at the end of the tunnel.”

Hasegawa provided the brightest ray Monday. Though he gave up a home run to Kevin Orie, he threw first-ball strikes to 10 of 23 batters and, for the most part, kept the Cubs off balance.

“He showed what he can do when he has command of his stuff,” Collins said. “He moved the ball around the strike zone, used all his pitches, changed speeds . . . he made two mistakes, but he has improved every time out.”

The key for Hasegawa, catcher Jorge Fabregas said, is keeping his off-speed pitches down and not relying on his fastball.

“He’s got to stay low in the zone with his slop,” Fabregas said. “As soon as he gets his pitches up he’s going to get whacked. Slop gets people out. [Seattle’s] Jamie Moyer throws slop, but he knows how to pitch.”

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Collins named Mark Langston as his opening-day starter Monday, but Langston couldn’t be too excited about an assignment that is considered an honor for a pitcher. “It’s unfortunate because Chuck [Finley] deserves to be the opening-day starter, and the only reason I am is because of a freak accident,” said Langston, who will open April 2 against the Boston Red Sox in Anaheim Stadium. Collins said Jason Dickson, who has been the Angels’ most consistent and effective starter, with a 3.21 spring earned-run average, will pitch the second game April 3. . . . Dennis Springer’s bid for a spot in the rotation suffered another blow Monday when the knuckleballer gave up two two-run home runs to Chicago’s Brooks Kieschnick. . . . Reserve outfielder Kevin Bass, out for more than a week because of an Achilles’ tendon injury, is taking batting practice and could return this weekend.