Collins Enjoys the Change

They warned Manager Terry Collins about the American League. Bad pitching, great hitting, unpredictable four-hour games and, horrors, the designated hitter.

But Collins says he’s a fan of the AL.

“There’s not a thing wrong with the DH,” said Collins, in his first season with the Angels after managing three years in the NL with Houston. “The DH has been great for a lot of guys’ careers. The fans love offense.”

Collins hasn’t been afraid to ask for advice when it comes to matchups. Collins said there are intriguing chess moves to be made, just not quite as many as in the NL.

Walking Jim Thome intentionally to get to Matt Williams with reliever Mike James on the mound in Saturday’s game was a case in point, Collins said.

“Williams is a great, great hitter, but I knew he hasn’t faced Mike James much,” Collins said of the former San Francisco Giant third baseman.

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The plan originally called for left-handed starter Chuck Finley to make two rehab starts at Class A Lake Elsinore, then make his 1997 debut for the Angels against the Yankees next week at New York.

But pitching coach Marcel Lachemann said the Angels will wait to see how Finley feels after throwing on the sidelines today.

“It’s tempting to say, ‘Let’s go right now,’ ” Lachemann said of Finley, who pitched Saturday for the first time since getting hit with a bat during spring training. “We’ll see how he is [today] and go from there. From what I heard, he located the ball very well.”

Finley is tentatively scheduled to pitch again Thursday for Lake Elsinore.

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Lachemann said the biggest fault he could find with Shigetoshi Hasegawa’s major-league debut Saturday was that he wasn’t finishing his delivery.

“He watched the videotape and was very aware that he wasn’t finishing,” Lachemann said. “He made some good pitches, but he got hurt with some mistakes.”

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Kathy, Edward and William Robinson took part in pregame ceremonies honoring their uncle, Jackie Robinson. Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan, now a TV analyst, hosted and a logo commemorating the 50th anniversary of Robinson’s major-league debut was unveiled on the left-center-field fence. . . . Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove took exception with home plate umpire Dale Scott’s liberal strike zone and was ejected after Thome struck out to end the third inning. . . . Cleveland center fielder Marquis Grissom had to be replaced after straining his right hamstring on a ninth-inning single. . . . Left fielder David Justice, acquired March 25 along with Grissom from Atlanta, had a tough night in the field. Darin Erstad’s line drive in the first inning popped out of his glove, but was ruled a double.