Mixed results for Cain in extended outing
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Matt Cain remains what Brian Sabean would call “a work in progress.”
If progress can be defined by lowering one’s ERA from 9.58 to 8.40, then Cain moved forward in Friday night’s 5-1 loss to the Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium. But like most of Cain’s outings, it was an “on the one hand, on the other hand” proposition that provided little insight into who he will be in 2017.
Fourteen hitters into the game he had allowed three runs on seven hits, including a double and triple. But Cain also struck out five in 42⁄3 innings, matching his total from his first four starts. Twice he struck out 2016 Rookie of the Year candidate Trevor Story ,ona changeup and a slider.
What all this means for the rotation competition with Ty Blach remains unclear. Cain’s tenure and salary made him the front-runner at the start of spring. That has not changed, despite some ugly innings, although his outings hardly have screamed, “Yes, Cain is back.”
After Friday’s game, manager Bruce Bochy said, “It’s about performance, not just those guys (Cain and Blach), they’re all competing. That’s how close some of these calls are.”
In revealing comments to KNBR on Wednesday, general manager Bobby Evans said Cain’s status was “hard to classify.” Evans also acknowledged that Cain is not blowing pitches past hitters, especially fastballs in the zone.
Evans amplified those comments before Friday’s game, saying that Cain’s curveball is sharp and his command is good, but that he needs to be more deceptive with his fastball delivery so the hitters do not see it so well. Cain has worked with coaches on improvements between starts.
“I think I’m trying to get a little more creative, trying to get guys off balance,” Cain said. “I think I’ve got to do that. I don’t have the middle 90s that maybe I used to.”
Cain said that overall he is progressing from start to start and hitting his spots better than last season.
“I’m getting to where I need to get for the season to start,” he said. “I think I can do a better job of getting two outs and getting out of the inning, and also being able to put guys away when I get two strikes on them.”
Morse in left: Michael Morse continued his recent hitting surge with a double in three at-bats. Also, for the first time this spring, he played left field, which he will have to do if he makes the team.
He had a mixed night. In the sixth inning he swooped into left-center and made a nice basket catch on a Raimel Tapia flyball after center fielder Gorkys Hernandez slipped. But an inning later, he looked more like a guy who has played only 35 innings in the outfield over the past two years when he misread a Charlie Blackmon flyball into a single.
“Scary,” Morse said when asked about his first 2017 foray in left field.
“It was all right. It’s like riding a bike — with two flat tires.”
Bochy said Morse is willing to play left field in minor-league camp to get more practice.
Alguacil update: First-base coach Jose Alguacil is recovering from a second operation related to the foul ball he took to the face on March 4.
Evans said Alguacil had cataract surgery in one eye Tuesday. Alguacil has had to avoid light for five days, but he still is expected to coach first base on Opening Day.