It All Works Out for Finley

The Angels could point to their hourlong mandatory workout 4 1/2 hours before Friday night’s game as a rallying point, a back-to-the-basics seminar that put the Angels on track toward their 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins before 14,633 in the Metrodome.

Then again, was it mere coincidence that Manager Terry Collins scheduled his spring training refresher course on the night ace Chuck Finley was pitching?

“I would have done it no matter who was pitching,” Collins said with a grin after the Angels ended a four-game losing streak and moved to within 4 1/2 games of first-place Texas. “But I’m glad it was Chuck.”

Finley had gone from the American League pitcher of the month in April to the haven’t-won-in-a-month club in May, recording two losses and three no-decisions in his last five starts.

But the veteran left-hander was brilliant Friday night, giving up one run on five hits, striking out 10 and walking one in 8 1/3 innings for his first victory since April 27. Of his 110 pitches, 70 were strikes.

“His forkball was nasty,” Twins’ Manager Tom Kelly said. “It reminded me of Jack Morris the way it was diving out of the strike zone.”

Finley breezed through seven innings before hitting trouble in the eighth when Marty Cordova singled and Angel left fielder Darin Erstad lost Terry Steinbach’s fly ball in the Metrodome roof.

The ball dropped for a double, putting runners at second and third with no outs, but Finley struck out Jon Shave, retired Todd Walker on a run-scoring groundout and got Pat Meares to line out to third baseman Dave Hollins.

“That’s what breaks losing streaks, great pitching,” Collins said. “Chuck has the ability in tough situations to reach back and make big pitches when he has to. They scored in the eighth, but he prevented a big inning.”

Jim Edmonds, whose name has surfaced again in trade rumors, led the Angels with a bases-empty homer in the fourth, which broke a 20-inning Angel scoreless streak, and an RBI double in the seventh.

Shortstop Gary DiSarcina broke out of a three-for-33 slump with three hits and a run, and catcher Matt Walbeck threw out two runners trying to steal and had an RBI double in the fourth.

The Angels seemed to play with a sense of urgency that is not often felt in May, a tone that was set in the afternoon when Angel coaches drilled players on fundamentals.

“When the manager gets you out early to do the things we did, you better know things are getting serious, that it’s time to turn this . . . around,” Hollins said. “I think everyone got that message.”

Finley didn’t need it. He’s the guy the Angels rely on to stop losing streaks, but with a 6-7 career record and 4.89 earned-run average in the Metrodome, he didn’t want to put any extra pressure on himself.

“I couldn’t let myself go out there thinking I had to stop the streak because I have a tough enough time in this place as it is,” Finley (5-2) said. “Something funky always seems to happen here, like that fly ball in the eighth. . . . I know the guys count on me for good things. I just try to deliver.”

That he did, with some help from his bullpen and defense. Troy Percival got Paul Molitor to pop out and struck out Ron Coomer to end the game for his 13th save, and Hollins leaped high in the air to snag Meares’ liner to end the eighth, saving another run.

“I had to look in my glove to see if I had it,” Hollins said. “I’m glad I switched to a bigger glove this year.”

Collins said he didn’t schedule the pregame workout as a punishment, but it was obvious the Angels needed a little kick in the pants.

“There hasn’t been a lack of effort, but there’s definitely been a lack of concentration on everyone’s part,” Edmonds said. “Not in one particular area, but overall. We have too many good players on this team not to be getting people out and driving in runs.

“I don’t think you win because you have a team meeting or workout--you just have to play hard and hope the ability of the team takes over. But it always seems to make the manager look good [when you have a workout and win]. I don’t know how that works.”