Orioles Put Fork in Finley : Baseball: A couple of bad pitches lead to Baltimore’s 5-4 victory.

BALTIMORE —  Of the 145 pitches he threw Saturday--and he threw enough good ones to match his season high of 10 strikeouts--Chuck Finley will remember only the two errant forkballs that wiped out an Angel lead and cost him a chance at his 18th victory.

“I can sit here and talk about how I had a good forkball and curveball and I probably threw as hard tonight as I have all season, but those are the two I keep seeing,” Finley said. “I’ve relied on that pitch the last two years. The odds of me getting beat with that pitch this year are astronomical in my favor. Usually I strike people out with it or they beat it into the ground. These two kind of floated in there.”

Oriole catcher Bob Melvin turned the first floating forkball into a two-run home run in the second inning, but the Angels rebounded with three runs in the third against Jose Mesa on an RBI double by Johnny Ray and a two-run single by Devon White. The forkball that Billy Ripken lined to left for an RBI single in the seventh was a blow they couldn’t answer. Ripken tied the game and his older brother, Cal, gave Baltimore a 5-4 victory on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth, only the third ball Cal has hit to the outfield in September.

Mark Eichhorn (2-5) took over for Finley at the start of the ninth, allowing two singles and a walk to Steve Finley that loaded the bases for Cal Ripken. “The worst thing I did was that walk,” Eichhorn said. “I know (Brady Anderson) is capable of stealing, but you can’t walk guys in that situation. You’ve got to concentrate on the hitter.”

Finley, whose earned-run average rose to 2.51 but remains second in the AL to Boston’s Roger Clemens, concentrated on those two misplaced forkballs in analyzing his outing.

“The home run was two runs but that early in the game, it doesn’t matter much,” said Finley, who ranks fifth in the AL in victories and figures to get four or five more starts this season. “What’s real hard to live with is making a mistake to Ripken and giving them a chance to tie the game back up. Giving up four runs, I don’t have a problem with that. But to let them tie the game, that bothers me.”

Finley, who was given a 4-3 lead in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk by Brian Downing, was trying to get the ball low and away to both Melvin and Billy Ripken. In each case, it stayed up and over the plate.

“I had (Ripken) in the hole 1-and-2 and we were working him away all night,” Finley said. “That’s what’s so frustrating. I can accept it if I get my brains beat out, but when you lose because of one bad pitch, those are the toughest ones to live with.

“The way I’ve been pitching all year, a lot of people would be satisfied, but I’m not.”

Angel catcher Lance Parrish understood Finley’s dissatisfaction. Parrish himself had a superb night defensively, twice blocking home plate to tag out runners, picking off Mike Devereaux to complete a double play in the eighth and unleashing an excellent throw to first to get Steve Finley on a slow roller between home and the mound in the seventh.

“Chuck pitched pretty well. He was a little erratic at times and a couple of pitches cost him, but that’s going to happen,” Parrish said. “He can’t be perfect every night. He’s going to make a few mistakes here and there. You hope in a situation like tonight that we’re able to rally and overcome them and give him the support he needs, but we just weren’t able to come through.”

“It was a grind,” Angel Manager Doug Rader said of the 3-hour 40-minute affair. “We didn’t get it done when we had a couple of chances and they finally did when they had one.”

Angel Notes

Chuck Finley and Brady Anderson exchanged unpleasantries in the fourth inning and were separated by the umpires. Anderson had bunted for a hit in the second and bunted again in his next at-bat, and Finley took exception to that. “I asked him if he got to the big leagues by bunting, only I phrased it a little differently,” Finley said. The two met again in the seventh when Anderson grounded to first baseman Lee Stevens, who flipped to Finley covering, but they didn’t collide. “His season has been frustrating and I was a little frustrated, too,” Finley said. “Those things come and go.”

Finley ranks eighth in the AL with 149 strikeouts and fourth in innings pitched at a personal high of 204. . . . The Angels’ 19 1/2-game deficit is their largest of the season.

Mark Langston’s back stiffness eased enough for him to throw in the bullpen Saturday with no ill effects. He expects to make his next start on Tuesday against Minnesota at Anaheim Stadium.

Pitcher Cliff Young was located in Texas, where he remained after his wife experienced complications following the birth of the couple’s second child. Young was unaccounted for after he failed to meet the Angels in Baltimore Friday. His leave of absence was extended by the club. . . . Kent Anderson (hamstring tightness) took batting practice and is available. Chili Davis (back strain) hit off a tee and threw, but is not ready to play.

Pregame advice from Angel broadcaster Reggie Jackson may have helped Baltimore’s Sam Horn record a three-for-four night with a home run and four RBIs. “I talked to him about some things he should do,” Jackson said.