AngelsWin.com Today: World Champion Angels | Classic Rewind: April 3rd, 2002

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APRIL 3, 2002

GAME 3 - INDIANS AT ANGELS

 

ANAHEIM -- Cleveland Indians starter Chuck Finley was unable to make his scheduled start against the Angels Wednesday night so he could tend to family matters after his wife, actress Tawny Kitaen, was arrested on charges of spousal abuse and battery.

 

Finley has 189 career wins, while his replacement Ryan Drese went into the game with one. But what looked like a break for the Angels instead worked in the Indians' favor, as Drese out-pitched Angels starter Aaron Sele in a 6-5 Indians victory before 18,194 at Edison Field.

 

The Angels made things interesting by scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth. But with the potential tying run on second base, Indians closer Bob Wickman struck out Troy Glaus to end it.

 

Sele's debut with the Angels wasn't unlike the starts of Jarrod Washburn and Kevin Appier in the first two games of the season. Like Washburn and Appier, Sele lasted only five innings and made a lot of pitches -- 99.

 

He wasn't terrible, but he wasn't good either. The Indians got eight hits off him, scored four runs and had at least one baserunner in every inning he pitched. Sele also had trouble getting the big out, as the Indians scored three of their four runs against him with two out.

 

''It was just one of those days,'' said Sele (0-1), who began last season with eight consecutive wins for the Mariners. ''I got the ball up and was battling it the whole game. You get the ball up to good hitters, they'll put the ball in play and that's what they did.''

 

Sele walked three, struck out two and fell to 5-8 against the Indians in his career.

 

''Right now it looks like our starters are having trouble getting their feet on the ground and pitching deep into games,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ''We know that'll flip-flop.''

 

Meanwhile, Drese escaped a first-inning jam having allowed only one run, then settled into a groove and lasted 5 2/3 innings. It was only his fifth career major league start, but he gave up just three runs and earned his second career major league victory.

 

''We knew he had a very good arm,'' Scioscia said. ''It was a gutty performance. In the first inning we had him on the ropes.''

 

In the first inning the Angels loaded the bases with nobody out on a single by Eckstein and walks to Darin Erstad and Tim Salmon. Garret Anderson popped to short for the first out.

 

Glaus then lined a single to right field, but because the ball was hit so hard the runners advanced only one base, with Eckstein scoring. Brad Fullmer followed with a hard-hit one-hopper to second baseman Ricky Gutierrez, who began a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.

 

The Indians offense finished with 11 hits, including two each by Matt Lawton, Omar Vizquel, Brady Anderson and Gutierrez. The Angels also had 11 hits, two each by David Eckstein, Glaus and Bengie Molina.

 

The Indians went ahead for good in the second inning getting four hits off Sele. Russell Branyan drove in one with a single and Lawton drove home two more with a two-out double for a 3-1 lead.

 

Down 6-3 in the ninth, the Angels put together a rally against Wickman, starting with Adam Kennedy's leadoff double. He went to third on Eckstein's groundout, and after Erstad walked, Salmon singled to drive in Kennedy, moving Erstad to third. Anderson followed and swung at the first pitch, grounding out to second to score Erstad and move pinch runner Jeff DaVanon to second.

 

But on a 3-2 count, Wickman struck out Glaus with a splitter, allowing the Indians to take two of three in the series.

 

NOTEBOOK

 

ANAHEIM -- Indians pitcher Chuck Finley, scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Angels, was scratched from the lineup ''to take care of his family,'' according to Indians general manager Mark Shapiro.

 

Finley's wife, actress Tawny Kitaen, was charged Wednesday with spousal abuse and battery for allegedly attacking him while the two drove home to Newport Beach from dinner on Monday night.

 

''She kicked him in the thigh, in the leg, in the arm, she grabbed his ear and twisted it,'' said Tori Richards, spokeswoman for the Orange County district attorney's office. ''At one point, her high-heel shoe was on top of his foot pressing the accelerator to the ground.''

 

According to Richards, after the couple arrived home a third party called 911. Police arrested Kitaen after they noticed abrasions and scrapes on Finley. Kitaen, who since marrying Finley in 1997 has gone by her given name of Julie, was released from Orange County Jail on Wednesday. If convicted of the two misdemeanor counts, Kitaen, 40, faces up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine.

 

A judge also issued a restraining order against Kitaen, ordering her to have no contact with Finley. Kitaen will continue to live in the couple's Newport Beach home. Finley, who signed with the Indians in 2000 after 14 seasons with the Angels, lives in the Ritz Carlton in downtown Cleveland when the team is home.

 

Following Monday night's incident, Finley attended Tuesday's game at Edison Field. Indians manager Charlie Manuel said Finley ''seemed fine.''

 

But Finley called Shapiro Wednesday afternoon and said he couldn't pitch in the game. It would have been Finley's first start of the season.

 

''He did not feel like he'd make it to the ballpark,'' Shapiro said. ''And if he did he wouldn't be able to pitch. He's just trying to take care of his kids and family right now.

 

''My attitude is, he's the same as any player in our organization. Everyone has issues outside of being a major league player that you have to deal with in life. What he's going through is the regular ups and downs people go through in their personal lives. But it's tough to go through it when you're in an environment like this.''

 

Shapiro said he expects Finley to rejoin the team this weekend in Detroit.

 

*

 

Closer Troy Percival underwent an MRI and bone scan Wednesday because of lingering discomfort in his mid-section. Percival was diagnosed with a strained right intercostal muscle and will be out at least until Monday, when he'll be reevaluated.

 

Before the results of the tests were known, Percival, who earned a save Tuesday night, wasn't concerned: ''It's no big story, it's something that's been bothering me for about three weeks. It's more for peace of mind.''

 

Percival said he first felt the discomfort pitching against Colorado in a spring training game in mid-March, but he ''tried to pitch through it.'' Percival's velocity on Tuesday was down to the 92-94 mph range, below his normal 95-98 mph.

 

''I haven't been able to jump on a pitch 100 percent,'' he said. ''It's been more like 90 percent.''

 

*

 

Left-handed reliever Dennis Cook (bruised ribs) will throw in the season opener for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga today. If all goes well, Cook could be activated from the disabled list on Saturday. … ... The Angels are off Thursday and will begin a three-game series in Texas starting Friday.

 

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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[Chuck]

Chuck Finley and the Angels were Tawny Kitaen'd.