Giants' Brandon Belt says plate umpire cheated him to 'get the game over with'

A series-ending loss to the National League-worst Reds wasn't the only thing that left Giants sluggerBrandon Belt raw on Wednesday.

It was how that 6-3 defeat ended that rubbed the left fielder the wrong way.

Belt stepped to the plate with a runner on second base and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning at AT&T Park. Facing closer Raisel Iglesias, Belt worked the count full before plate umpire Doug Eddings called a third strike on a fastball just off the plate to end the game.

Afterward, Belt said there was no question he got cheated on the call and insinuated that Eddings made it to get a matinee that lasted 2 hours, 41 minutes over with.

"I think 99.9 percent of the umpires are great, and I actually enjoy talking to 'em," Belt said. "But there's just some times when you have a feeling that one or two of 'em are trying to get the game over with, whether it's through what they say or what they do. And that just can't happen; you can't have those guys affecting careers and affecting games like that."

A walk would have brought Evan Longoria to the plate as the tying run; the third baseman already had three hits on the day.

"We had a really good hitter coming up after that who could've tied the game for us," Belt said. "And we never got that chance, because he calls a ball that's so far off the plate, I don't even think I could've touched it if I swung it."

Belt mentioned multiple times that Eddings has said he was trying to get through a game quickly. Asked whether he believes the longtime umpire was joking, Belt added: "I dunno, but if you say it enough, you start to believe it."

Earlier Wednesday, Belt homered in a fifth straight game against the Reds, a streak dating to May 13, 2017.