BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Pitchers Pitch, Hitters Don’t Hit

In a likely preview of games to come, the Angels enjoyed solid pitching but had trouble scoring.

Their first intrasquad game was a showcase for Mark Langston and Jim Abbott, who each worked an effortless inning, and reliever Bryan Harvey, whose strikeout forkball to John Morris inspired an astonished “Oh, my God!” from plate umpire Max Oliveras. Third base coach John Wathan’s team won the six-inning exercise, 1-0, when outfielder Tim Salmon doubled down the left-field line to score nonroster third baseman Ken Oberkfell, who had singled and advanced on a wild pitch.

Only Don Robinson, who gave up two singles, and Mark Zappelli, the losing pitcher, struggled on the mound.

Chuck Finley continues to make progress in his recuperation from off-season surgery on his left big toe. The left-hander pitched nine minutes off the mound without difficulty, prompting Buck Rodgers to estimate that he might make his first spring outing on March 14.

“It’s fairly important for him to get three innings in before we leave for Palm Springs (on March 18). He’s throwing nice and smooth,” said Rodgers, who stood in the batter’s box for several minutes to get a close look at Finley’s motion and velocity. “We’ve taken films and compared them with before he got hurt to see if he’s changed his delivery, and he hasn’t. He could pitch in an intrasquad game with his arm, but he’s not ready to move around if a ball is hit hard right back at him.”

Lee Stevens, rehabilitating his sore right wrist, popped out and grounded out. Rodgers said he plans to hold Stevens out of full exhibition games until he can handle pitches from the Angels’ hardest-throwing coach, bullpen coach Ken Macha, without pain. . . . Hubie Brooks, coming back from surgery on a ruptured disk in his neck, grounded to second and popped to short. “I’m all right, but not 100% yet,” he said.