Dodgers Roll a 7 in 4th; Belcher Beats Phillies

Perfectionist that he is, Dodger pitcher Tim Belcher was not satisfied with dominating the Philadelphia Phillies for eight innings Sunday afternoon, coming within one out of his first career shutout before settling for a 9-2 victory.

Brushing aside all those glaring positives for a moment, Belcher was mildly annoyed at himself for failing to cover first base on a ninth-inning ground ball that gave the Phillies a second run. That may seem as nit-picking as searching for a small scratch on a shiny Cadillac, but Belcher could not let it pass.

“I was embarrassed,” Belcher said. “When that first run scored, I wasn’t nearly as upset as the second run. You have a great outing and then you close the door with something like that. It was tremendous brain cramp on my part.”

But who, besides Belcher, really cares about that gaffe? The hard-throwing rookie right-hander gave the Phillies bat cramp all day, allowing 6 hits (3 of which didn’t leave the infield) and tying his career-high with 8 strikeouts for his first career complete game.

And, besides, Dodger hitters provided Belcher with such a big lead--courtesy of a seven-run fourth inning off loser David Palmer--that a few mistakes could be absorbed and mostly ignored. Emerging from a four-game offensive lapse, the Dodgers had 7 of their 13 hits in the fourth. Alfredo Griffin, breaking out of an 0-for-23 slump, knocked in 2 runs with a bases-loaded single. That was followed by Kirk Gibson’s 3-run double and capped by Pedro Guerrero’s first home run since April 13, a two-run shot to left field.

The Dodgers, 21-12 and leading Houston by 2 1/2 games in the National League West, have shown the capacity to score runs in bunches. But they did not know for sure that Belcher (3-1) could be this dominating.

Except for his ninth-inning faux pas --Belcher watched first baseman Mike Marshall go wide to his right to field Darren Daulton’s two-out grounder instead of covering first, allowing Bill Almon to score from third--this clearly was a performance to treasure.

Making his fifth start, Belcher began strongly, striking out five and allowing only a single through four innings. After being given an 8-0 lead in the bottom of that inning, Belcher gave up only two infield singles and a soft hit that eluded Steve Sax’s glove going into the ninth. “He pitched a great game, up until that ninth inning,” Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda said. “He’s got a chance to be an outstanding pitcher. We knew he had a super arm. All he needs is experience and coaching. His fastball is as good as any fastball around.”

On this day, at least, it was.

Belcher was hurt on his curveball in recent starts, so Sunday he eliminated it from his repertoire and also threw his change-up sparingly. That left Belcher with his fastball and slider, both of which he threw masterfully.

“I did something I hadn’t been doing all year, and that’s shelving the curveball,” Belcher said. “I threw one the whole game. It was a good one. In a few of my starts, I threw the curve well, but I also gave up the big hit with it.

“When I go out there and have a good fastball, I can pitch that way. The curve is my fourth best pitch, and I didn’t need it today. I may have thrown only about a dozen sliders. So, I had to throw over 100 fastballs.”

In addition to having, as Philadelphia Manager Lee Elia termed it, “a live arm,” Belcher also was presented with the luxury of pitching with a big lead.

In his three wins this season, the Dodgers have totaled 30 runs. In his only loss, on April 28 against Chicago, they scored one run. That typifies the fluctuating Dodger offense this season, which either pushes toward double-figure run totals or has trouble pushing across any runs.

“We’d love to see (nine runs) all the time,” Gibson said. “But we go in streaks. We slapped a seven on them real quick today, but last night we won with only three runs. That shows the range of the ways we can beat you.”

The Dodgers’ impressive offensive capabilities were on display again Sunday in the fourth inning, in which 3 Philadelphia pitchers could not contain a rambling rally that produced 7 runs on 7 hits.

The first important hit was provided by Griffin, who despite hitting just .162 continued his inexplicable knack for delivering in bases-loaded situations. With his two-run single in the fourth, Griffin has 3 triples, 2 singles and a sacrifice fly for a staggering 14 runs batted in with the bases full.

As it turned out, Griffin hit again with the bases-loaded in the fourth. That time he flied to center to end the inning.

Griffin doesn’t have a specific reason for his success with the bases loaded and his struggles in less precarious situations. But he threw out a few theories. “Because the pitcher’s in a jam, he’s got to come to me,” Griffin said. “I’ve got the advantage.”

That’s something Griffin can’t always say. He has the worst average of any Dodger regular.

“I needed it,” Griffin said. “I was 0 for 20-something, right? I had more pressure on me Sunday, and I hit better.”

Gibson and Guerrero also are players who say they thrive on pressure, and each produced in the fourth.

Gibson, who took a called third strike with the bases loaded and one out in the third, found himself in a similar situation an inning later. This time, he lined a double into the right-center field gap, scoring two runs.

“I didn’t do my job that first time, and I felt terrible about it,” Gibson said. “But baseball being the beast it is, it put me back up there in that spot. Fortunately, I got to redeem myself.”

Guerrero, the Dodgers’ team leader in RBIs with 25, last hit a home run off San Diego’s Eric Show on April 13. But he deposited Dan Clay’s first pitch following Gibson’s double over the 360-foot sign in left field to give the Dodgers an 8-0 lead.

“Obviously, you like seeing that big lead, because if you give up a few runs, you’re still all right,” Belcher said. “But, at times, you also have to concentrate more. But when I saw all those goose eggs up on the board, that was something to concentrate on. If I hadn’t blown it, I’d be even happier.”

Dodger Notes

Shortstop Alfredo Griffin, despite hitting just .162, has 19 runs batted in. That is only four fewer than New York Mets’ slugging outfielder Darryl Strawberry. . . . Philadelphia third baseman Mike Schmidt continued to struggle with what is believed to be the worst slump of his career. Schmidt went hitless again Sunday and is 0 for 30. . . . The Phillies left town losers of 2 of 3 to the Dodgers and in last place in the NL East. Manager Lee Elia seems at a loss. “It’s repetitious, my answers to you guys,” Elia said. “I’ll have to figure out an explanation for you. Maybe the best thing to do is not hit--just come out and play. We’ve had so much extra hitting, it’s unbelievable. They’re pressing, you can see that.” . . . Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ executive vice-president, extended until this morning relief pitcher Brad Havens’ deadline for deciding whether to accept a demotion to the minor leagues or becoming a free agent. Havens has more than three seasons in the major leagues, so he has the option.

Dodger Attendance

Sunday’s attendance: 41,045

1987 attendance (18 dates): 751,879

1988 attendance (18 dates): 666,911

Decrease: 84,968

1988 average per date: 37,051