Right-hander gives S.F. lift with arm, bat
The clouds were heavy and the wind strong, foretelling a storm approaching from the Pacific, when Matt Cain walked to the mound for his 317th regular-season start Wednesday night. Nobody needed a literature degree from Oxford to extract a metaphor there.
With Ty Blach in the dugout, Tyler Beede seemingly ready in the minors and a near-term schedule that makes the fifth spot in the rotation less necessary, it did not take a lot of mental gymnastics to envision this being Cain’s final start after 13
seasons in San Francisco.
That was before Cain pitched and hit like he wants to pitch and hit some more, holding the Diamondbacks to one run, striking out six in five-plus innings and hitting the double that started the decisive rally in a 6-2 Giants victory.
“I thought it was just a huge outing for him and a good one to build on,” manager Bruce Bochy said.
Cain will get a shot to build on it in Kansas City on Tuesday night. That was not assured before Wednesday’s seriesclinching win because the Giants have off days Monday and Thursday next week. The staff easily could have skipped Cain’s spot and had Madison Bumgarner pitch instead.
That would be hard to do after Cain won in April for the first time since 2012 with strikeout stuff. Bochy reiterated that Cain will get a longer leash, not just because of his resume.
“I think you have to, the way he threw the ball,” Bochy said. “He had command of four pitches, a good curveball along with a changeup and fastball command. I think it’s something he’s earned.
“Look at what he’s done for us. We’ve got championships because of this guy. He’s the longest-tenured Giant. That is going to earn some guys certain things.”
Cain appreciates the sentiment and said, “It’s up to me to take advantage of it, go out there with some of the knowledge I have and keep growing and growing. Today was a good day. I’m not saying I’ve got it all figured out. I’ve got to think about the next start.”
Asked about the notion of pitching for his job each time out, Cain said, “If I think about that, I’m in the wrong frame of mind, big-time.”
The fans who braved the threat of rain showed their appreciation when Bochy came to get Cain with nobody out in the sixth, the Giants leading 3-1 and two runners on. They gave him a standing ovation.
Cory Gearrin roused the crowd by striking out the side. George Kontos pitched a scoreless seventh before the Giants extended the lead on Nick Hundley’s RBI double and Jarrett Parker’s two-run triple in the bottom half.
Cain allowed a “here we go again” run two batters into the game, on an A.J. Pollock triple and a David Peralta sacrifice fly. Cain then raised a stop sign.
In a critical moment, Cain struck out Pollock on a curveball to end the second inning and strand Chris Owings at second base, one of six Cain strikeouts in a stretch of nine hitters.
The Giants were still down 1-0 in the fifth and being one-hit by Shelby Miller (3-12 last year) when Cain slammed a fastball to the wall in left-center for a double. Cain scored the tying run standing on Denard Span’s line single to center.
Third-base coach Phil Nevin did not hesitate to send Cain. Pollock seemed a bit stunned and sent a weak throw that was cut off after he double-clutched.
Brandon Belt, hitless in 15 at-bats, walked, sending Span into position to score on Hunter Pence’s single for a 2-1 Giants lead. Conor Gillaspie got the two-out hit to score Belt for the final run the Giants would need.