ANAHEIM -- Brandon Belt will gladly take the home run he hit in the second inning of the Giants' 4-3 loss against the Angels on Saturday, even if he appeared to get a little help with the final few inches of his long drive.
Belt's blast to right-center field reached the top of the wall just as Angels center fielder Michael Trout arrived. Trout appeared to time his jump perfectly, but the ball squirted from his glove and hit the auxiliary scoreboard on the other side of the wall before bouncing back onto the field of play.
"It's almost like when you watch [Trout] going back to the wall, you can see it happening too," Belt said of Trout's penchant for robing home runs. "I was fortunate right there."
Otherwise, offense was hard to come by for the Giants, who struck out 17 times Saturday, including 11 against Angels starter Garrett Richards. The 17 K's were the Giants' most in a nine-inning game since they struck out 18 times in a 1959 game against the Dodgers' Sandy Koufax.
In previous seasons, Belt's drive would have remained in play, but the Angels lowered the wall in right field from 18 feet to 8 feet.
"I had no idea [what happened]," Belt said. "I didn't even know it was a home run. I thought it was a double. I couldn't see."
Pablo Sandoval also didn't know it was a home run as he raced to the plate and appeared to avoid the tag of Angels catcher Rene Rivera, but it did not matter once second-base umpire Marty Foster ruled that Belt had homered.
Trout initially objected to the call on the field, apparently thinking he had prevented the ball from exiting the field of play, but the Angels elected to not utilize a replay.
Belt's fourth home run of the season came a day after his 30th birthday. Belt did not play in Friday's game.
The home run gave the Giants an early 2-0 lead, but the Angels hit three home runs of their in the victory. The Giants won the series opener, 8-1.
"It [stinks] to lose; I wish we could have come out on top, but we just have to put it behind us and come back [Sunday]," Belt said.