Finley Can’t Help the Angels in Loss

MINNEAPOLIS —  Steve Finley was looking forward to May, just for the mental benefit of knowing he could put what is usually a horrid month -- the 17-year veteran is a career .235 hitter in April -- behind him.

But May arrives today with no fanfare for the Angel center fielder; he won’t be on the field to usher it in. After going hitless in four at-bats in the Angels’ 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, extending a slump in which he has four hits in his last 38 at-bats, Finley will get today off, per order of Manager Mike Scioscia.

“He needs a day off,” Scioscia said of Finley, who has started all 24 games this season and played 162 games for the Diamondbacks and Dodgers in 2004. “Sometimes it’s good to take some batting practice and sit back and watch a game.

“He’s been grinding it hard and pounding his head against the wall. Sometimes, you take a step back and you find a doorway next to the wall you’ve been pounding. Hopefully, he’ll get through it.”

Finley prides himself on playing every day, but with Twins’ left-hander Johan Santana, the 2004 American League Cy Young Award winner who has won 17 straight decisions dating to July 11, starting today and Minnesota going for a three-game sweep, Finley can see the wisdom in Scioscia’s decision.

“Yeah, it’s a good move -- I’m smoking right now,” Finley said, reaching for a little gallows humor.

“Mentally and physically, I’m fine. I’m just not getting the job done. I feel good, and I’m not getting results.”

Finley, who signed a two-year, $14-million deal in December, has two game-winning hits and four home runs but batted only .149 (13 for 87) in April and has one hit in 19 at-bats on this trip.

After grounding into a key bases-loaded double play in Friday night’s loss to Minnesota, Finley struck out with two on to end the first inning Saturday, grounded out to short in his next two at-bats and flied to center to open the ninth.

But Finley is a career .276 hitter who has never hit lower than .276 in any month after April, so he remains confident he’ll snap out of his funk.

“I don’t worry about it,” Finley said. “I know what I can do and where I can be. We’ve been winning games, and I’ve been throwing my two cents in here and there, but when you’re losing games and not contributing, that’s frustrating.”

Angel batting instructor Mickey Hatcher has been studying tapes of Finley, “and his swing is the same now as when he’s going good,” Hatcher said.

“I don’t have the answers, but I just believe this guy can hit. We’ve been through this with [Tim] Salmon many times, guys getting off to slow starts, but I know he’ll get it together.”

Finley wasn’t the only Angel to struggle Saturday.

The Angels managed seven hits, three by leadoff batter Darin Erstad, and Twin right-hander Brad Radke (2-3) tamed the Angels with his noted fastball-changeup combination, giving up two runs -- one earned -- and seven hits in 7 1/3 innings, striking out five and walking none.

This was all too familiar to Angel starter Kelvim Escobar, who received an average of 3.9 runs per start last season and has received three runs of support in his first two starts this season.

Escobar had trouble locating his fastball in the first two innings, grooving one such 2-and-0 offering to cleanup batter Justin Morneau, who crushed it into the upper deck in right-center field in the first inning for a two-run home run that traveled an estimated 456 feet.

The Twins added runs on Joe Mauer’s RBI infield single in the third inning and Nick Punto’s RBI triple in the fourth before Escobar found his rhythm, blanking Minnesota in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

Singles by Erstad and Chone Figgins and a Minnesota throwing error led to an Angel run in the third, and Figgins’ sacrifice fly in the eighth pulled the Angels within 4-2, but Minnesota setup man Juan Rincon retired Vladimir Guerrero and Garret Anderson with a runner on to end the eighth, and Joe Nathan pitched a one-two-three ninth for his eighth save.