Chuck Finley, who for the first time in his career as a starting pitcher will finish the month of April without a victory, was summoned for a private meeting Thursday with Angel Manager Buck Rodgers and pitching coach Chuck Hernandez.
Hernandez detected a flaw in Finley's delivery, and they will experiment on the side before his next scheduled start May 3 against the New York Yankees.
"I'm a leper pitcher right now," Finley said. "When you pitch like I am, nobody wants to be around you."
Finley, who has won at least 16 games in four of the last five seasons, is 0-2 with a 6.42 earned-run average. Most disturbing to Finley, he said, is that the Angels are 0-5 in his five starts.
"I'm pretty frustrated right now because I know I'm better than what I'm showing," Finley said. "But as long as I'm healthy, and throwing the ball good, I've got to think things will turn around."
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Left-handed reliever Ken Patterson will undergo season-ending surgery Tuesday by Lewis Yocum to repair the torn medial collateral ligament in his left elbow. He was put on the 60-day disabled list and expects to be sidelined anywhere from six to 15 months, depending on the severity of the tear.
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Outfielder Jim Edmonds, who was hit in the neck Tuesday by an errant throw by Yankee shortstop Mike Gallego, was forced to leave the field Thursday afternoon after becoming dizzy.
