BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Finley Says Team Was Flat in Loss

Angel starter Chuck Finley, whose teammates seemed to reserve their worst fielding for the days he pitched last season, perhaps should be used to this by now. Twenty of the Angels’ 80 unearned runs last season occurred during his starts.

But after the Angels’ 5-0 defeat Sunday to the Toronto Blue Jays, Finley wasn’t bothered by the physical mistakes as much as by the lethargic play.

“I thought we were dead on our feet a little bit,” Finley said. “We hadn’t been that way all year, but I thought we were flat today.”

There was little Finley’s teammates could do about Roberto Alomar’s two-run homer in the first inning and Pat Borders’ solo homer in the second, but they had a hand in everything else. Third baseman Damion Easley threw the ball away on the first play of the game, immediately followed by Alomar’s homer. In the seventh inning, Easley couldn’t pick up Devon White’s grounder, which was ruled a hit. White then stole second base, and Alomar walked. White stole third. And when Alomar attempted to steal second, catcher Jorge Fabregas’ throw deflected off Harold Reynold’s glove into center field, White and Alomar scoring.

“We have to play more solid, consistent defense,” Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann said, “and we will. The effort was there. The concentration was not.”

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Angel designated hitter Chili Davis, who suffered a jammed left wrist while breaking up a double play Saturday, was scratched from the lineup. He took the first round of batting practice, but after he swung and missed at a high pitch, the pain returned.

“I hate being out of the lineup,” said Davis, who is batting a team-high .366. “You can’t have your fourth hitter out of the lineup.”

Bo Jackson was moved from left field to designated hitter and Dwight Smith was added to the lineup to replace Davis. They were hitless in seven at-bats without hitting the ball out of the infield.

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Angel starter John Farrell, who spent his first eight years in the Cleveland Indian organization, returns to pitch in Cleveland for the first time since 1990.

The only difference is that he will be pitching at new Jacobs Field instead of antiquated Cleveland Stadium. “There’s a lot of people who’ll always remember that stadium,” Farrell said. “It wasn’t one of the greatest places to play, but hey, you were still in the big leagues.”

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Lachemann, who was swarmed with congratulatory telephone calls and telegrams after he was hired as manager, said few meant more than the one sent by former USC coach Rod Dedeaux. “That one was special right there,” said Lachemann, who played for Dedeaux and also coached with him. “He was some manager. What he did, winning five straight championships in baseball, was unbelievable.”