Greene Catches Finley . . . and No One Gets Hurt!

Manager Terry Collins broke out the jumper cables and gave life to an old battery Saturday night, starting Todd Greene behind the plate with pitcher Chuck Finley against the Diamondbacks.

Not since Aug. 19, 1997, had Greene caught Finley, and any Angel fan who has cursed this franchise’s hex can tell you what happened that fateful night: Finley, riding a 10-game win streak, slipped while backing up the plate, fell and broke his wrist and was lost for the season.

The next night, the hot-hitting Greene broke his wrist blocking a ball in the dirt and was lost for the season. The Angels, in first place at the time, faded in an American League West race eventually won by Seattle.

There was magic before the misfortune, though. Finley and Greene combined to go 9-0 that July and August--part of Finley’s eventual club-record 14-game win streak.

Shoulder problems prevented Greene from catching for a year and a half, and Charlie O’Brien caught most of Finley’s starts this season, but when O’Brien suffered a foot injury June 2, that opened the door for Greene, who had started nine previous games behind the plate, to catch Finley again.

“I’m excited,” Greene said before the game. “Basically, this guy was responsible for me getting the everyday job in 1997. He wanted me to catch him, then some of the other pitchers wanted me to catch them, too.

“My defense was always a question, but when you have the cornerstone of the organization saying he wants you to catch, that really helps.”

Greene’s quick maturation behind the plate in 1997--he was a converted outfielder in the minor leagues--made it possible for the Angels to deal then-catcher Jim Leyritz to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Ken Hill.

Finley, from Monroe, La., and Greene, from Evans, Ga., have always had a good rapport, their playful banter sometimes carrying over from the clubhouse to the mound. Asked what makes the pair click, Greene said: “We’re both country boys, man.”

*

The range of motion in Tim Salmon’s sprained left wrist is good. It’s the range of emotion that Salmon is having a hard time handling.

“It’s totally frustrating dealing with this injury and the questions about it,” said Salmon, who has been sidelined since May 3. “The manager, the coaches, the players, people at the store--’Hey, is it just gonna be a couple more days?’--everywhere I go, people are asking when I’m going to be back. I can’t answer it. The doctors can’t. Only God can.”

Salmon hasn’t suffered any setbacks since beginning his rehabilitation program June 2. He has been sore after some of the strengthening exercises--that’s common--but it’s hard to tell how much progress he’s making. He is not expected to swing a bat for at least another week.

“I don’t know how I feel,” Salmon said. “They said it could be two weeks, two months or six months, so I don’t know what else to tell you.”

*

If the Diamondbacks have one weakness it is in the bullpen, but they made a significant move to strengthen their relief corps Saturday by acquiring left-hander Dan Plesac from the Toronto Blue Jays for infielder Tony Batista and reliever John Frascatore.

Plesac, 37, is 0-3 with an 8.34 earned run average, but left-handed batters have hit .205 (nine for 44) against him. Greg Swindell was Arizona’s only left-hander in the bullpen, but he’s more of a middle reliever, not the kind of pitcher who is called on to retire one batter.

TONIGHT

ANGELS’ OMAR OLIVARES (6-4, 3.47 ERA)

vs.

DIAMONDBACKS’ OMAR DAAL (6-4, 3.44 ERA)

Edison Field, 5 p.m.

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090), KCTD (1540)

* Update--Extensive research by Ed Price of the Mesa (Ariz.) Tribune uncovered this gem: This is the first time in major league history that two guys named Omar have opposed each other as starting pitchers. Price could find only three other Omars who played in the big leagues, Indian shortstop Omar Vizquel, former Pittsburgh outfielder Omar Moreno and Omar Lown, a relief pitcher in the 1950s. Olivares is making his first start since leaving a June 4 game against the Dodgers because of a strained left hamstring.

* Tickets--(714) 663-9000