Belcher Balks and Blows Up

Less than two innings into Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners, the Angels’ manager and the veteran pitcher they’re leaning heavily on to contend for a division title were banished to the clubhouse.

Is this any way to begin a crucial 10-game stretch against the two teams ahead of you in the American League West?

It is if you’re the Angels, who lost Mike Scioscia and starter Tim Belcher after an explosive second-inning argument stemming from home-plate umpire Mike DiMuro’s balk call and went on to lose to the Mariners, 5-3, before 32,051 in Safeco Field.

Seattle right-hander Aaron Sele limited the Angels to three runs in 6 1/3 solid innings, left-hander Arthur Rhodes threw 1 2/3 perfect innings, and closer Kazuhiro Sasaki struck out two of three in the ninth for his 15th save, as Seattle won its seventh straight and 17 of its last 22 games.

The Angels also lost another game in the standings, falling 6 1/2 games behind the first-place A’s.

Belcher gave up a run in the first on two walks and John Olerud’s RBI single and another in the second on David Bell’s leadoff home run. He ran into more trouble when the Mariners followed Bell’s shot by putting runners on first and third with one out out.

Belcher appeared to lose his balance while attempting the fake-to-third, throw-to-first pickoff play, and DiMuro quickly called a balk. Though DiMuro declined comment after the game, he appeared to cite Belcher because his initial move--specifically the front leg in his motion--was directed far more toward home than to third.

Joe Oliver was waved home from third, Belcher rushed DiMuro, arguing his move was legal, and Scioscia stormed out of the dugout to join the dispute.

DiMuro immediately ejected Belcher, a decision that so infuriated the right-hander that he tried to jump over and around Scioscia to get to DiMuro. First baseman Mo Vaughn had to wrap Belcher in a bear hug to prevent the altercation from escalating.

Scioscia took up the argument and was soon ejected and headed for the clubhouse to commiserate with Belcher. For all their objections, though, replays appeared to back DiMuro.

Belcher’s left foot was far beyond the imaginary 45-degree plane between the plate and the corner base that is suppose to guide umpires in determining whether a right-hander’s pickoff attempt to third or a left-hander’s move to first are legal.

“But that’s not the issue,” Scioscia said. “What’s troubling is I never got an explanation for why Belcher was tossed from the game. Obviously, there’s a line you cross when you’re ejected, and Tim did not cross that line. He did not use any profanity. He did not do anything outside of the scope of getting information. It’s very disturbing.”

Belcher admitted he cussed “in the context of saying there was no way that was a balk. But I never said anything directly to him. I wanted an explanation. I wanted him to show me where I stepped.

“It’s frustrating, because in my mind there’s never been any equity in that pitchers are not afforded the same opportunity to argue as hitters, and this further cements my belief. A hitter can complain about 13 of 16 pitches and use no more foul a language as I used and stay in the game. There’s one job in major league baseball tougher than being a pitcher, and that’s being an umpire. I respect the ones who do a good job and control the game, and they have to have thick skin. But for some reason the guys who don’t control the game very well seem to have the thinnest skin.”

Belcher watched replays of the balk and felt they were inconclusive, at best.

“It was close,” he said, “but I’d venture to say that 80% of left-handers step closer [to the plate] and don’t get called for balks.”

After Belcher’s exit, the Angels summoned Mike Fyhrie with an emergency call to the bullpen, and the right-hander gave up two runs, one on Mike Cameron’s homer in the fifth, in 3 2/3 innings, as the Mariners took a 5-1 lead.

Vaughn led off the sixth with a bases-empty home run to right, his 21st homer of the season, to make it 5-2, and Darin Erstad’s RBI groundout in the seventh made it 5-3.

But that was all the Angels could manage off Sele, who gave up five hits, struck out six and walked three, using his trademark curve ball and an improved changeup to keep the Angels off balance and improve to 9-3.