Finley Scratched From Tonight’s Game

Angel pitcher Chuck Finley, hit by a line drive in his last spring training start, has been scratched from tonight’s game. Manager Terry Collins was reluctant to say when the left-hander would pitch again.

Collins said Finley may pitch Sunday in an exhibition game against Cal State Fullerton or he may be sent to Arizona to pitch on Monday.

“I believe Chuck will be all right,” Collins said. “But I also thought that Gary DiSarcina would be all right.”

DiSarcina will be sidelined until the All-Star break because of a broken bone in his left forearm. Not that Collins is worried that Finley will be sidelined that long.

“We’re being a little cautious,” Collins said. “Instead of Chuck feeling like he has to be ready, we want him to pitch when he’s ready. We’re talking about the first of 162 games. If he misses one start, it’s not going to kill us.”

Finley, who was hit by three line drives last season, was struck by a Jason Giambi line drive in a game against the Oakland A’s on Wednesday. He left after facing two batters and was scheduled to start against Aguascalientes tonight.

“He hasn’t been able to get loosened up,” Collins said. “It’s too early to tell when he will pitch.”

Finley was scheduled to be the Angels’ opening day starter, but was pushed back after suffering upper back spasms this spring.

Meanwhile, left-handed pitcher Mike Magnante, who was also injured in the Oakland game, needed two stitches to close a cut on his pitching hand. Like Finley, he was hit by a line drive.

The good news for Collins was that right fielder Tim Salmon reported to work fine and played Friday. He also left Wednesday’s game early after fouling a pitch off his left shin in the third inning.

With all that, and with DiSarcina out and pitcher Jason Dickson sidelined for the year after shoulder surgery, there is little question as to what Collins sees as the key to the season.

“Health, we got to have some,” Collins said. “If everyone plays up to their abilities, we’ll be fine. I look at the back of baseball cards. That’s what we need. We’ve had a few guys have some good seasons the last few years. If they do that, we’ll be in good shape.”

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The Angels claimed right-handed relief pitcher Al Levine off waivers Friday. Levine, 30, was released by the Texas Rangers. He was 2-1 with a 5.23 earned-run average in seven spring training games.

Levine, a three-year veteran, was 0-1 with a 4.50 earned-run average in 30 games with the Rangers last season. He will compete with Mike Fyhrie, Toby Borland and Scott Schoeneweis for the last bullpen spot.

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The Dodgers and the New York Yankees, who have faced each other 11 times in the World Series, will play the first game of a two-game series tonight.

Carlos Perez will face David Cone at 7 p.m. Darren Dreifort will face Ryan Bradley on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Dodgers and Yankees last played an exhibition in Los Angeles in 1959, in a special game to honor former Dodger catcher Roy Campanella.

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The Dodgers will unveil the Dodger Experience at tonight’s game. The 8,000-square-foot museum is located on the club level in right field and will include a theater showing clips of Dodger history and baseball movies and exhibits tracing Dodger and baseball history.

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Angel outfielder Orlando Palmeiro stepped out of the dugout before Friday’s game, looked at the fences in left and center field, which have been moved in about 10 feet, and asked, “Did they do this for me?”

Palmeiro has not hit a home run in 214 major league games.