Belt gets call from Torre

Calm dialogue is a good way to ease tensions that start to snowball, such as the case of the Giants versus home- plate umpires Doug Eddings and Chris Segal in theWednesday and Thursday games.

Sometimes manager Bruce Bochy chats with Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre in the commissioner’s office or umpiring supervisor Ed Montague, who lives in the Bay Area and often watches crews work at AT& T Park.

Sometimes Torre initiates the call, as he did Friday with Brandon Belt, who remains subject to discipline for his pointed comments about Eddings after Wednesday’s loss to the Reds, which ended with the first baseman looking at a called third strike.

The nature of that conversation was unclear. Bochy revealed it after the clubhouse was closed to reporters. Torre usually allows a back and forth, with both sides expressing their frustrations and opinions.

In the wake of blowups over third strikes in consecutive games, with Segal ejecting Bochy

and Brandon Crawford on Thursday night, Bochy said his players need to put their frustrations behind them.

“I don’t want them to think about this or the calls,” he said. “The umpires, they’re going to make some mistakes, just like we’re going to. You hope they even out.”

Belt did not start Friday’s game against the Rockies because of knee swelling, which occurred after a recent slide into second base. Belt has played through it and was available to pinch- hit. Bochy figured this was a good spot for a rest with a day game Saturday and the Giants facing a left- hander, Kyle Freeland.

“The last thing we need to do is risk losing him for a while,”

Bochy said.

Williamson rehab: MacWilliamson began his minorleague rehab assignment with Triple- A Sacramento on Friday night, expected to DH in Salt Lake City. Bochy estimated Williamson would need a week to 10 days in the minors before rejoining the Giants.

Williamson is replacing left fielder Chris Shaw, who went on the Triple- A disabled list. Shaw has a left groin injury that is not deemed significant.

Another important rehab assignment could begin as soon as May 28, when the Giants are in Colorado. Second baseman Joe Panik is ramping up his workload as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn left thumb ligament.

Double duty: Pitcher Ty Blach was ready to run to left field Thursday night had the game gone to the 13th inning. Austin Jackson would have moved to the infield, with no position players left to replace Crawford.

Blach played part of a game in the outfield for Sacramento in 2015. He said the situation was the same, following an ejection.

“Me and Jarrett Parker kept switching places in left and right field for four innings,” Blach said.

The manager knew what he was doing. Parker got several flyballs. Blach got none.