Sub-Par Belcher Committed to Returning

Tim Belcher looks at his 5-7 record and 6.91 earned-run average, his age--he turns 38 in October--and an increase in nagging injuries this season and realizes it’s not exactly a strong foundation for his campaign 2000.

“It’s human nature to have doubts when you’re struggling with your job performance,� Belcher said. “. . . I can’t deny that thoughts [of retirement] have surfaced, but some people forget that in a contractual arrangement there is a commitment on both sides. I’m definitely going to fill my end.�

Belcher is in the first year of a two-year, $10.2-million deal that includes an option for 2001.

“It’s the nature of a competitive person to say I’m going to identify a few key things and redouble my efforts, whether it’s a change in mechanics or conditioning or an overhaul of my pitches,� Belcher said. “We have to be like deer in the wild. We have to adapt to ever-changing surroundings.�

For Belcher, that means developing a bigger variance in speeds between his fastball, split-fingered fastball and slider.

“As I’ve lost velocity on my fastball, most of my other pitches have stayed the same or increased in velocity,� Belcher said. “I’m throwing my splitter harder than I have before, so I have a group of three or four pitches that are within 6-8 mph of each other, and that’s too close.�

Belcher, who sat out six weeks from late June to early August because of a broken right pinky, says he has worked the corners well this season, but he hasn’t changed speeds well enough. And when your fastball tops out in the 88-mph range, it’s imperative you change speeds effectively.

He has used his split-fingered pitch as a changeup, but he’s thinking of adding a straight changeup to his repertoire. He also may need to soften up some other pitches.

“I have no doubts I can make adjustments this winter and next spring, and I’ve been working on some of this stuff this year,� Belcher said. “But so much of your results are out of your hands, because once you release the ball, you have no control over what happens to it.�

*

Seth Etherton, a former USC standout who was the Angels’ first-round pick in 1998, threw nine scoreless innings in double-A Erie’s 3-2 loss to Trenton on Monday night. Etherton is 10-10 with a 3.27 ERA in 24 games, striking out 153 and walking only 43 in 167 2/3 innings.

ANGELS’

TIM BELCHER

(5-7, 6.91 ERA)

vs.

WHITE SOX’S

JAMES BALDWIN

(6-11, 6.04 ERA)

Comiskey Park, Chicago, 5 PDT

Radio--KLAC (570), XPRS (1090).

* Update--Belcher pitched his two best games of the season just before injuring his finger, giving up one run and four hits in eight innings against San Francisco on June 9 and one run and five hits in eight innings against New York on June 20, but he has struggled in his return from the disabled list, giving up 10 runs and 13 hits in eight innings in two games against Boston and Detroit. Baldwin has a shoddy record, but the right-hander has given up only 13 runs in 31 1/3 innings over his last five starts.