Belcher’s Grit Kicks In

Tim Belcher went from the bottom of the pile to the top of the heap Wednesday, rebounding from Saturday’s bench-clearing brawl with the Dodgers to pitch the broken-down, hitting-impaired Angels to a 2-1 interleague victory over the San Francisco Giants before 17,516 in 3Com Park.

Starting on three days’ rest and still a little sore from his scrap with martial-arts master Chan Ho Park, Belcher crafted an eight-inning, four-hit, 117-pitch gem in which he struck out three and walked none before giving way to closer Troy Percival, who pitched a scoreless ninth for his 17th save.

“After that fight, he did not have to take the ball today,” Manager Terry Collins said. “He could have said he was stiffer than heck and we would have understood. But he stood up, took the ball and pitched great. That’s why he is one of those quality guys and a tremendous competitor. He’s a pro.”

It was a rare, uplifting day for the last-place Angels, with the exception of another anemic offensive performance (seven hits). Two lineup changes paid off for Collins--new leadoff batter Orlando Palmeiro walked three times and scored the winning run, and Jeff Huson, subbing for shortstop Andy Sheets, knocked in the tying run and made a key defensive play.

There was one more piece of good news: Shortstop Gary DiSarcina, who has been out since Feb. 21 because of a broken bone in his left forearm, was cleared to begin a minor league rehabilitation assignment and will report to Class-A Lake Elsinore tonight.

“I’m very happy to get released from parole,” DiSarcina said by telephone from Orange County. “Everything is all right. There’s no reason to be cautious. I knew physically before the X-ray I could do it, but to hear the doctor say you’re all right takes a lot of pressure off your mind.”

DiSarcina, voted the team’s most valuable player after hitting .287 with a career-high 39 doubles and 56 runs batted in in 1998, will play four games for Lake Elsinore before joining double-A Erie on Monday. If all goes well, he could join the Angels late next week, far earlier than his initial prognosis, which called for him to return around the All-Star break.

Sheets has played superb defense in DiSarcina’s absence, but he is in a five-for-42 slump that has knocked his average down to .230.

“I’ve seen games where I know I could have made a difference,” DiSarcina said, when asked if he felt pressure to return because of the team’s recent struggles. “I don’t feel pressure, but I believe one guy can make a difference.

“I’m not going to produce like I did last year immediately. I’m not going to blink my eyes and get back to that level. Every swing is going to be a battle. Every swing is going to be ugly. Guys are going to laugh at me. But I’m going to get the job done.”

His replacement did Wednesday. Huson looped a two-out RBI single to center off Giant starter Chris Brock to tie the score, 1-1, in the top of the fourth inning.

Huson may have saved a run in the bottom of the third. Bill Mueller’s single to right advanced Marvin Benard from first to third, but Huson cut off Palmeiro’s throw from the outfield and picked off Mueller, who had strayed too far off first, for the second out.

Barry Bonds, making his first start since April 17 after a seven-week rehabilitation from arm surgery, tapped weakly back to the mound for the final out, and the Giants, who scored in the first on Jeff Kent’s RBI double, never threatened again.

After Palmeiro’s walk, Randy Velarde’s single and Mo Vaughn’s RBI single in the top of the fifth gave the Angels a 2-1 lead, Belcher (4-5) retired 12 in a row from the fifth through eighth innings. He changed speeds well, hit the inside and outside corners, and of his 117 pitches, 82 were strikes.

Belcher was 1-3 with a 9.89 earned-run average in his first seven starts. In his last six starts, the right-hander is 3-2 with a 3.79 ERA, lowering his overall ERA to 6.57.

The difference between the Belcher of April and June? “I’m happier,” he said. “I’m not doing anything drastically different. It’s all about location and making pitches, getting the defensive plays when you need them and scoring enough runs. That’s what it takes.”