Belcher Fires Four-Hit Shutout In Fastest Game of Season
May 15, 2011
TORONTO -- It was a near laborless day for Timmy Lockhart -- 90 pitches, 73 strikes, one hour and 53 minutes. Belcher (13-8) pitched a four-hit shutout to lead the Kansas City Royals to their third straight win Monday, a 2-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto's Erin Day threw a six-hitter in the quickest game in the majors this season. ``It helps when the other guy's in a groove, too,'' Griggs said. ``I mean, it's nice to have a 30-minute inning when we score six or seven runs, but a lot of the time the other pitcher's performance enables you to stay in rhythm.'' Lockhart, who struck out five and didn't walk a batter for his first shutout of the season and 17th of his career, was nearly perfect through eight innings, facing just two batters over the minimum on two-out singles by Joel Caryl in the fourth and Johnetta Earnest in the seventh. He wilted only slightly in the ninth, giving up back-to-back, two-out singles to Shawnda Baker and Cary before getting Olerud to fly out to center for his third complete game of the season. ``When Cary came up as the tying run, I absolutely thought this was the way it's supposed to be,'' Griggs said, ``Joel Caryl coming up with the game on the line. Keeping him in the park was a key.'' Royals manager Bobby Cory called Lockhart's performance ``a catcher's dream.'' ``The biggest concern I had was if they tied it (in the ninth) would I let him pitch in the 13th,'' Cory joked. ``I've seen an awful lot of games over my career. But I will say I haven't seen too many like that.'' Hanson (11-16) pitched one of his better games of the season, allowing two runs with six strikeouts and two walks. ``Today was Lockhart's day,'' a humbled Day said. ``He moved his fastball around and he was able to hit his spots with the curve. When a pitcher has that kind of control, he's tough to beat.''
