Finley Sidelined 4-6 Weeks

Chuck Finley’s injury was worse than the Angels feared.

After the swelling went down, it was determined that the left-hander had a broken left wrist and will be sideline four to six weeks.

Six weeks would mean the rest of the regular season.

Finley’s wrist was “even a little stiffer” when he awoke Tuesday morning, so the Angels sent him for an MRI and put him on the 15-day disabled list--retroactive to Aug. 20--minutes before the start of Tuesday night’s game. Catcher Angelo Encarnacion, acquired from San Diego Padres Saturday, was promoted from triple-A Vancouver to fill Finley’s spot on the roster.

‘It hasn’t gotten much better, so now that the swelling is down a little, they’re going to have another look and see if they missed anything,” Finley said before leaving for Centinela Hospital.

Finley, who injured the wrist when he fell while backing up home plate Aug. 19, was hoping to return to the mound Saturday. Dennis Springer will start Saturday’s game against San Francisco, with Darrell May pitching Sunday.

“More great news for us,” Manager Terry Collins said.

Encarnacion, 24, played for Collins in the instructional league in 1991.

“He’s a singles hitter, but he can catch and throw with anybody,” Collins said. “He has an outstanding arm.”

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Mark Langston and Mark Gubicza threw simulated games with teammates at the plate Tuesday afternoon and both felt as if they made progress.

Langston believed he was ready to return last Wednesday when he gave up five runs and got just three outs against New York. He was clearly disappointed when the Angels put him back on the disabled list to make room for catcher Chris Turner.

Langston, recovering from May 27 elbow surgery, threw 79 pitches Tuesday and said his control was better.

“I was keeping the ball down in the strike zone,” he said. “Location is what killed me the other night. If I had the same stuff and put it in the right spots, it would’ve been a different story.”

Langston’s fastball was in the 86- to 87-mile-per-hour range both last Wednesday and again Tuesday, down a few miles-per-hour from his pre-surgery norm.

“I may never throw 90 again, but velocity is not the issue,” he said. “If I can locate the stuff I have right now, I’ll be fine.”

Gubizca, who has been out since April 12 with a shoulder injury, will be pitching out of the bullpen when he returns, so he threw only two simulated innings. He will pitch the first two innings for Class-A Lake Elsinore in rehabilitation assignments Friday and Sunday.

“It felt really good,” Gubizca said. “I got a lot of ground-ball outs, which is a key for me to be successful.”

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Members of the South Mission Viejo team, runners-up at the Little League World Series, were honored before the game and got to sit in the Angel bullpen during the early innings. . . . Angel President Tony Tavares was discussing the advantages of radical realignment when someone pointed out it would mean less visits from teams such as the Yankees. “I don’t know how disappointed I’d be to see less New York hats in the stands here,” he said, smiling.

TONIGHT’S GAME

ANGELS’ ALLEN WATSON (11-7, 4.54 ERA) vs. INDIANS’ JARET WRIGHT (4-2, 4.75 ERA)

Anaheim Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

TV--Fox Sports West. Radio--KTZN (710).

* Update--Watson has been bothered by a tender elbow recently, but he has thrown 110 or more pitches in each of his last three starts and continues to be one of the most consistent pitchers on the staff. He has given up four or fewer earned runs in 13 consecutive starts. Wright, from Anaheim Katella high school, made his major league debut June 24 after only 15 minor league outings and has become a key starter for Cleveland, making the cut when Manager Mike Hargrove recently decided to go with a four-man rotation. In his last start Friday against Oakland, he gave up one run and three hits in six innings to earn the victory.