Another Good Start for Belcher, Angels

The Angels’ starting pitching, from the vantage point of an increasingly hazy winter: young, and not very good. Old, and not very good. Injured, and not very good.

For Tim Belcher, that was two out of three. But, even at 38 and coming off arm surgery, the old man did the Angels proud Thursday, pitching six strong innings in a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Edison Field.

The Angels were supposed to be buried by now, crushed beneath an avalanche of opposing runs. The Angels have used 11 starting pitchers so far, usually an avalanche warning.

Yet the Angels find themselves five games out of first place in the American League West. Belcher, the wise old man, sees a winner here.

“We’re one good streak away from being in first place,” Belcher said, “and what would be considered a monumental turnaround from a year ago.”

“I don’t think there’s any question we can compete late into the season. I like our chances.”

Bengie Molina hit a two-run home run and Darin Erstad collected three more hits as the Angels won for the fourth time in five games. With closer Troy Percival unavailable after pitching the previous two games, Mark Petkovsek retired the final nine batters for his first save.

Petkovsek was more than happy to share the credit with the surprisingly strong starting staff. In the past 11 games, the starters are 6-2 with a 3.13 earned-run average.

“Lately, they’ve really been on their game,” Petkovsek said. “The fact they’re not giving up runs makes you proud.”

In 26 of their past 27 games, the starters have given up four or fewer earned runs. And they have prospered despite losing five of their own to the disabled list since May 10. Of the four active starters, three started the season at triple-A Edmonton.

“We’re a whole lot deeper than we gave ourselves credit for,” General Manager Bill Stoneman said.

The fourth active starter, Belcher, started the season on the disabled list. The post-surgical version of Belcher ought to carry the “new and improved” label.

He sat out all of spring training. He did not pitch until May, and even then only in the minor leagues.

No matter. In his first start for the Angels, last week in the hitting haven of Camden Yards, Belcher pitched five shutout innings. Albert Belle nicked him for a solo home run in the sixth, but that was all.

In his second start Thursday, Belcher gave up a two-run homer to Jermaine Dye in the first inning. He didn’t give up another hit until the seventh inning, thanks in part to a slider apparently enhanced by surgery.

“I probably threw more sliders in six innings tonight than in any six-inning start I ever had,” Belcher said.

Belcher (2-0) and the Angels led 4-2 when Joe Randa singled to start the seventh. Mark Quinn doubled Randa to third. With the tying runs on base, Belcher exited to a warm ovation.

And, a few minutes later, Belcher joined the ovation for the man who replaced him, Petkovsek. With none out and the tying runs in scoring position, Petkovsek got two ground balls and a pop fly, holding the Royals to one run.

In the meantime, from the department of rare and strange achievements, Kansas City pitcher Jay Witasick (1-7) threw a complete-game 10-hitter.

The Angels got seven hits and all four runs within the first three innings. Witasick stopped the Angels on three hits, all singles, over the final five innings.

Still, the Angels emerged victorious, again not by much. Of their past 26 victories, 22 have come by three runs or less.

Yes, indeed, the old man sees a winner here.

“We’re doing things every winning team I’ve ever been on has done,” Belcher said. “We come from behind. We’re never out of a game. We play a lot of close games.

“That’s all good training for September and October. If you’ve already been through that 30 or 40 times, when the pennant races heat up, you’ve already been down that road.

“That’s been part of the Braves’ problem the last eight to 10 years. They’ve almost won their division too easily, and they’ve struggled in the postseason. As good a club as those guys have had, they ought to be walking around with a fistful of rings, and they’ve only got one.”