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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- It wasn't exactly a command performance
in Tim Belcher's mind, but his manager disagreed with him. So did
the Kansas City Royals.
Belcher limited the Royals to one hit in the first six innings,
leading the Anaheim Angels to a 4-3 victory Thursday night and
recording his first win in eight career decisions against Kansas
City.
"The command of my fastball is nowhere where it needs to be,
but my slider and splitter have been really good," the
right-hander said. "I probably threw more sliders tonight in the
sixth inning than in any other six-inning start I've ever had.
"Now it's just a matter of getting better command of the
fastball. That's how I'm going to dominate games."
Belcher (2-0) was charged with three runs and three hits in
six-plus innings. The 14-year veteran, who spent three seasons with
the Royals before signing with the Angels as a free agent in
December 1998, had surgery on his right elbow last December and
hadn't pitched for the Angels until last Saturday at Baltimore.
"I don't feel like either start has been all that dominating,"
Belcher said. "I certainly didn't go as deep into the game as I
would have liked to go. But for the first two starts, I guess I'll
take it. One thing I've learned from all these years is that you
take the wins, no matter how they come."
Belcher threw 81 pitches through the sixth, before Joe Randa led
off the seventh with a single and Mark Quinn followed with a double
that sent Randa to third and chased Belcher. Until then, the only
hit off Jermaine Dye's two-run homer in the first, his 19th.
"I wouldn't say I'm surprised by this," Angels manager Mike
Scioscia said. "That's Tim's job -- to get us to the seventh
inning. He was getting a little fatigued toward the end, but his
pitch count was fine.
"He went through a little spell where he struggled with his
command and walked three. But other than that, his slider was
crisp, he had a very good split-finger and located his fastball
well. If he can bottle that, he's going to be a big part of our
rotation."
Mark Petkovsek relieved Belcher, and the Royals trimmed Anaheim's lead on a groundout by Gregg Zaun that scored Randa. Petkovsek retired all nine batters he faced -- without allowing a
ball hit out of the infield -- and earned his first save of the
season on his first attempt.
Bengie Molina's two-run homer tied it in the second, and the
Angels took a 4-2 lead with in the third against Jay Witasick
(1-7), who got a bad break when left fielder Johnny Damon allowed
Darin Erstad's leadoff single through his legs for a two-base
error. Orlando Palmeiro hit a go-ahead single, Mo Vaughn doubled
and Garret Anderson had an RBI groundout.
Witasick allowed 10 hits, struck out five and did not walk a
batter, becoming the first Royals pitcher to throw a complete game.
Kansas City had been the only AL team without one.
"I'm not sure there's any satisfaction about that," Witasick
said. "The only thing is I believe that I'm back on track. I got
the ball over the strike zone more times tonight than I have in the
past. I gave up a lot of hits tonight, but I think it's a learning
process for me. I was trying to nibble too much in the past couple
of games. Tonight I went after the hitters."
Game notes
The game took only 2 hours, 20 minutes. Wednesday night's
contest was over in just 2:15. ... Erstad, the Angels' leadoff
hitter, singled three times leading off an inning. ... Of the
Royals' 25 hits during their three-game series with the Angels, 22
were singles. Overall this season, 69.3 percent of Kansas City's
hits have been singles -- the highest percentage in the majors. ...
Kansas City was the only AL team Belcher had never beaten. He had
defeated every NL team except Arizona and Colorado, the only two he
has never faced. ... Royals hitters have struck out 354 times, the
fewest in the majors.
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Baseball Scoreboard
Kansas City Clubhouse
Anaheim Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 4
NY Yankees 2
Toronto 7
Detroit 4
Chi. White Sox 6
Cleveland 0
Minnesota 3
Texas 2
Anaheim 4
Kansas City 3
Seattle 11
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Houston 6
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