ANGELS STREAK ENDS IN LOSS TO RANGERS : TEXAS 9, ANGELS 1.

Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer

If Chuck Finley wants to help the Angels by agreeing to a trade so they can acquire prospects, he's going about it the wrong way.

Finley (4-8) got ripped for nine runs in 4-1/3 innings by the Texas Rangers, who humbled the previously hot Angels 9-1 before 20,539 at Edison Field on Monday night. The AL West-leading Rangers increased their lead over the last-place Angels to 7-1/2 games.

The Angels, who entered the game having won six of seven, had their winning streak snapped at four. Rangers starter Mike Morgan, who had not pitched more than seven innings in a game all season, was one out away from his first shutout in six years before Todd Greene homered with two out in the ninth.

Morgan (9-5) pounded his fist into his glove after watching the ball sail over the fence, but got the final out on the next pitch and got the complete game.

Juan Gonzalez, Royce Clayton and Rafael Palmeiro smacked home runs off Finley and continued a trend the Angels lefty can't seem to shake. Even though Finley beat the Rangers on April 9 this season, his career mark against the Rangers fell to 8-17.

It was a little more than a week ago that Finley said he'd consider accepting a trade to a contender if the Angels were out of the race and it would help the Angels obtain young and talented players in return. And Finley could always return to Anaheim next season as a free agent because his contract expires at the end of this year.

But if Finley wants the Angels to get something significant in return, he ought to start pitching better. He hasn't won in his past five starts, going 0-3 (two no-decisions) with a 6.35 ERA.

However, any trade talk had been quieted lately because the Angels had been playing well.

``A week ago we were 10 games out and our gravestones were being etched,'' Angels manager Terry Collins said before the game. ``Now we're 6-1/2 out and they're saying if we sweep we're back in it. If we hang in there we'll be OK.''

The best the Angels can hope for now is to win two of three, and the Rangers made sure of it early in Monday's game, hammering Finley for two runs in the first, five in the fourth and two in the fifth.

``I'm in a little bit of a bad funk mechanically right now,'' said Finley, who has failed to get out of the fifth inning in each of his past two starts. ``I just can't put the ball where I want to put it. I've been working on it and working on it, but I'm making a lot of bad pitches. I'm all over the place.''

Finley was working on three days' rest, but said he felt fine physically.

``I know what the problem is, I just have to fix it,'' he said. ``But feeling it and fixing it are two different things.''

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Photo

PHOTO (Color) The Angels' Chuck Finley heads for the dugout after giving up nine runs in 4-1/3 innings against the Rangers.

Michael Caulfield/Associated Press