Angels Show Strong Support for Finley

It’s a scary thought, but the most stable piece in the Angels’ starting rotation has been Chuck Finley.

This is a guy who has been knocked out of three games after being smacked by line drives. He left another one after ripping open his knee while covering first base. He has even been hit by a line drive while sitting in the dugout.

Yet every time he pitches, the Angels know what they will get, even if they don’t always show their appreciation by showering Finley with runs. But Sunday they got the standard Finley performance, and backed him up as well.

Finley pitched seven shutout innings in a 9-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox in front of 16,805 at Comiskey Park.

It was Finley’s first victory since June 30 and couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

The Angels were swept by the White Sox in a doubleheader Saturday and had lost seven of nine games to drop three games behind first-place Texas.

“Chuck is the guy who stops losing streaks for us,” shortstop Gary DiSarcina said. “When he’s pitching, we have a lot of confidence.”

Finley, who gave up three hits, worked out of jams in the first and second, then breezed.

The White Sox had the bases loaded with two out in the first, but Finley got Magglio Ordonez to fly out to left. They had runners on first and third in the second, but Finley struck out Chris Snopek. He also struck out Albert Belle twice, once with a runner on base.

Finely threw 125 pitches, then turned things over to Pep Harris, who went the last two innings.

“I know Chuck had a shutout, but 125 pitches is a lot,” Manager Terry Collins said. “Besides, I figure if we couldn’t hold that lead, we didn’t deserve to be in the race anyway.

“This was a game we had to have pitched for us. We have not given Chuck many runs to work with, so his margin for error has been real small lately.”

Finley (9-5) was 0-1 in his last six starts, but had a 3.09 earned-run average. He threw eight shutout innings against the New York Yankees two weeks ago and the Angels failed to get him a run.

“You can’t point fingers at the offense,” Finley said. “You’ve got to hold up your end of the deal. I know they look to me to go out there and pitch well every time.

“But I don’t go out and try to dominate the game. You can’t be a one-man show.”

Finley wasn’t Sunday. The Angels gave him a 2-0 lead in the first and scored four more in the sixth. It was an outburst born from frustration after the White Sox took two games Saturday.

“We came in here expecting to win two of three games,” Finley said. “We felt we could beat this team. We still do. If those are the only two losses on this road trip, that would be great.”

Said Salmon: “There weren’t a lot of happy campers this morning.

“With Finley going, we knew if we could get some runs early, he would make it tough on them.”

The Angels executed that plan from the first batter. Orlando Palmeiro led off with a single and Randy Velarde doubled.

Garret Anderson’s groundout scored one run and Salmon’s single made the score 2-0.

Salmon doubled home a run in the four-run third and hit a solo home run an inning later. He has seven home runs in the last 13 games.

“We said it many times, he’s the one guy that can put you on his back and carry you,” Collins said.

Salmon didn’t have to tote the whole load, as seven Angels drove in runs. Salmon, Jim Edmonds and Troy Glaus all had two-strike hits in the third. White Sox pitcher Carlos Castillo helped out with two bases-loaded walks.

It all made for an easy day for Finley.

“I can’t change the way I pitch just because we got some runs,” Finley said. “When we score seven runs, I can’t go out and give up three or four. I have to pitch like it’s a tight game.

“But it’s nice when you don’t have to make perfect pitches every time.”

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HOLLINS SIDELINED

Angels put infielder Dave Hollins on the disabled list because of an injured right shoulder. C7