Belcher Survives Big Test : He Beats Astros, 5-3, as Dodgers Increase Lead

Tim Belcher may have had an identity crisis at various times this season, but you can’t really say he is suffering from it. Starting or relieving, pitching every five days or at a moment’s notice, Belcher has capably filled whatever role the Dodgers have assigned him.

Saturday night, the rookie right-hander was handed his most difficult task yet, squaring off against Nolan Ryan and the Houston Astros in a game the Dodgers needed to win to strengthen their position atop the National League West.

Once again, Belcher did not disappoint. Staked to an early lead as the result of a reshuffled lineup with Kirk Gibson batting second and Mike Marshall batting third, Belcher pitched seven shutout innings before faltering in the eighth, but eventually emerged a 5-3 winner over the Astros as the Dodgers regained a 3 1/2-game lead.

“I think it’s a big win for the club,” said Belcher, who earned his third win in five starts since returning to the starting rotation. “If we lose tonight, they’re only behind by 1 1/2 games and we might start to press.

“But I couldn’t think about that. I knew I was facing Ryan and the team right on our heels, and the fact that we lost (Friday) night. All those things are important. But I can’t lose my focal point, which was to keep my concentration and pitch.”

Though a quality pitching performance was important for the Dodgers, so, too, was scoring runs off Ryan, 8-9 but always a tough pitcher to face. But Manager Tom Lasorda’s decision to move Gibson from third to second in the order and put Marshall ahead of Pedro Guerrero produced the desired effect.

Steve Sax, hitting in front of Gibson, went 3 for 5 with a run batted in. The slumping Marshall, hitting behind Gibson, went 2 for 4 with an RBI. And Gibson went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

About the only noteworthy Dodger hitter who didn’t benefit from the realignment was Guerrero, who went hitless in the cleanup spot.

The night before, against Jim Deshaies, the Dodgers produced four runs but wound up 6-4 losers because starter Orel Hershiser had a rare poor night. But on this night, Belcher was able to hold a 5-0 lead, though not without a few shaky moments. He tied his career high with eight strikeouts, two more than Ryan.

Belcher (8-4) took a four-hit shutout into the eighth inning, which basically is uncharted territory for him. With one out, he gave up singles to Terry Puhl and Glenn Davis, prompting a visit to the mound by pitching coach Ron Perranoski.

The chat over, Belcher then served up a three-run home run to Kevin Bass to cut the lead to 5-3. When Perranoski visited again, he took Belcher back with him. Reliever Jay Howell got the final two outs in the eighth and pitched a relatively uneventful ninth to get his team-high 14th save.

While Belcher admitted he was tired when he gave up the home run to Bass, he also said it wouldn’t have been a bad decision to leave him in.

“When Perry came out with two men on (the first visit), I bet (catcher Mike) Scioscia 10 bucks that he’d take me out,” Belcher said.

Perhaps both Belcher and Dodger decision-makers were remembering Belcher’s last start, when he had a 3-0 lead over Cincinnati with one out in the eighth inning and two runners on base. He was replaced, and the Dodgers lost, 4-3.

“I’ve been frustrated a couple of times by quick hooks,” Belcher said. “The other night against the Reds was one of them. I don’t care what anyone says, when a starter gives up a couple hits and, boom, the bullpen is up, you are affected by it. A lot of what you do on the mound is confidence. Now they’re starting to leave me in there longer, so maybe they have more confidence.”

Saturday night’s home run notwithstanding, Belcher has been the Dodgers’ third-best pitcher behind Hershiser and Tim Leary, who pitches today. In five starts since returning to the rotation from a successful stint as a short reliever, Belcher is 3-0 with a 2.52 earned-run average.

“He’s got a chance of being one helluva pitcher,” Lasorda said of Belcher. “He’s got as good a fastball as you see. When he gets more experience and sets up hitters a little better, he’ll be really tough.”

Pitching is the least of Lasorda’s worries. He has mostly stayed with a set lineup this season, but a prolonged offensive lull during a stretch in which his club lost 6 of 8 games prompted some changes.

Actually, it was Gibson who approached Lasorda with the idea of batting second. It enables both Sax and Marshall, who was 4 for 47 coming into Saturday’s game, to see better pitches and possibly put runners on base for Guerrero.

“I went in and told Tommy I’d be happy to hit second,” Gibson said. “I didn’t think we had anyone up to that point that knew the job. It’s a setup man. If (Marshall) liked it and Pete liked it, that’s great. Because it worked tonight.”

Gibson scored two runs and reached base three times against Ryan. In his first at-bat, Gibson laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved Sax to third, where he was stranded.

“Pitchers think of me when I get on base, and that opens things up,” Gibson said.

It did in the fourth inning. Gibson’s leadoff walk and Marshall’s double put runners on second and third with no outs. Guerrero and John Shelby both failed to get a run in, but Tracy Woodson’s two-out single on an 0-and-2 pitch gave the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.

In the fifth, Sax received a two-out walk and stole second. Gibson’s single to right field made it 3-0.

And with help from Ryan’s throwing error on a grounder to the mound to start off the seventh, the Dodgers scored two runs, the highlight being a single by Marshall that drove in Gibson, who had doubled.

“I really enjoy hitting behind Kirk and having Pete behind me,” Marshall said. “When he gets on, it draws the pitcher’s attention. I haven’t been hitting well, but hopefully now I’ve come out of it. I guess I just went south for a while.” So, too, had the Dodgers in the West race. But on the strength of Belcher’s pitching and the revamped lineup, the Dodgers took a step north.

Dodger Notes

Manager Tom Lasorda, on the lineup change that had Kirk Gibson going from third in the order to second and Mike Marshall from fifth to third: “Gibson is a left-handed hitter. If Saxy (Steve Sax) gets on, he can pull the ball into the hole. If (Gibson) gets on, they aren’t going to throw Mike as many off-speed pitches.” Lasorda said he will keep this lineup against right-handed pitchers and may even use it against left-handers. . . . Sax’s two stolen bases Saturday gave him 30. . . . After pitching his first simulated game Saturday, rehabilitating pitcher Mario Soto (right shoulder surgery) termed it a success. Soto threw 68 pitches, according to trainers, and experienced no soreness in his shoulder. “I don’t think I’m too far away,” Soto said. “I got my work in. (Today) is a big day. We’ll see how the arm bounces back.” Soto said that in the next three or four days he probably will throw another simulated game, then perhaps begin a rehabilitation assignment in the minor leagues. . . . Don Sutton (sore right elbow) threw on the side Saturday in preparation for his start Tuesday night in Cincinnati. Sutton, who has been on the disabled list since late June, said his arm feels strong.