Belcher Shuts Door After Slam

There was no rest for the weary, that being Angel pitcher Ken Hill, nor the frustrated, that being Angel Manager Terry Collins.

The only difference was Hill managed to stick around three more innings than his manager in the Angels’ 6-4 loss to the Kansas City Royals in front of 21,065 at Edison Field Monday. Collins was sent packing in the second, after arguing a call with home plate umpire Durwood Merrill.

He was left to watch things unfold, and unravel, on a television in his office. If Collins was lucky, he had remote handy and was able to do some surfing during the rough spots.

They were a few.

Hill, who threw a career-high 148 pitches in his last start, hit empty in the fifth and couldn’t hold a 4-0 lead.

Darin Erstad, outfielder turned-first baseman-turned-outfielder, had a sinking line drive ricochet off his leg for a three-base, two-run error.

Outfielder Jim Edmonds, a Gold Glove winner, mishandled a single, allowing Dean Palmer to go from first to third--he then scored the go-ahead run on a fly out.

Angel batters fell silent, as Royal starter Tim Belcher, bombed when Collins was still in the dugout, set down 12 of 13 batters after the first inning.

Thus the Angels continued to meander against the have-nots. After losing two of three to Minnesota, they lost to a Royal team that has scored the second fewest runs in the American League and had lost 16 of its previous 21 games.

Basically, it wasn’t Must See TV for Collins, who was thrown out while protecting Edmonds, with whom Merrill went nose to nose after Edmonds complained about a called strike.

“When I sat down and watched on TV, I saw the game from a different vantage point,” Collins said. “I don’t know if Tim Belcher missed many spots the rest of the game. He might have, but he didn’t miss many.

“We came home and played well against Oakland, then won the first one against Minnesota. All of a sudden, we ran into a brick wall again.

“All these losses hurt. It doesn’t matter what happens as long as you score more runs than they do. I’m baffled by it, I can tell you that.”

No more than the Angels were mystified by Belcher.

Garret Anderson’s first-inning grand slam turned out to be the extent of the Angel offense, which has been hit and miss all season. They had three hits in the first and four the rest of the game.

“I don’t think he was pitching any differently after the first,” Anderson said. “We just didn’t adjust to him.”

Belcher finished with a season-high seven strikeouts for his third victory. The Angels only serious threat came in the eighth, but Matt Walbeck hit into an inning-ending double play with runners on first and second.

“I just relaxed and didn’t give in,” Belcher said. “I just wanted to keep us in it. A four-run lead in the first isn’t that big.”

Hill didn’t have such stamina, nor did he receive much help. He threw four shutout innings, but was surviving on borrowed time. The errors by Erstad and Edmonds merely hastened Hill’s exit.

While Jack McDowell and Allen Watson have been sidelined with sore elbows, Hill has been able to pitch through some pain. But his 148-pitch performance last week against Oakland lingered.

“After 148 pitches, I didn’t know what I would have today,” Hill said. “I knew warming up in the bullpen that I didn’t have a lot going in. My velocity wasn’t there. I just wanted to try to go five or six innings.”

He left after giving up five runs in the fifth, only three of which were earned.

With the Angels leading, 4-1, Jose Offerman looped a liner to left where Erstad was playing because of Tim Salmon’s foot injury. Erstad charged in, but the ball appeared to hit off his left leg. Two runs scored and Offerman then scored the tying run on ground out.

“I think Darin lost it in the lights,” Collins said.