Cain flashes his old form in Giants’ win over Arizona
A standing ovation for the S.F. veteran after holding down Arizona
SAN FRANCISCO – The storm system pushed to the doorstep of AT&T Park Wednesday night, but the skies remained clear and dry when Matt Cain walked off the mound to a standing ovation.
Who truly knows what the weather will bring? Cain could find himself skipped in the rotation next time, ultimately replaced by a younger model, or both. Any start could be the last for the longest tenured Giant, one of the most accomplished pitchers in the franchise’s San Francisco era. Like the storm, Tyler Beede is coming.
So perhaps there was something extra behind those cheers that Cain received when he took his town sheriff turn off the mound and toward the dugout with the Giants leading 3-1 in the sixth inning.
Cain doubled to start a three-run fifth inning and Jarrett Parker found his release in the form of a two-run triple through the rain in a three-run seventh inning as the Giants took a 6-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Giants took two of three from the NL West leaders – their first series win in three tries – and after a challenging first road trip, their record stands at 4-6. They’ll try to climb from there as they throw the top of their rotation against the Colorado Rockies.
Cain no longer sits at the top of that rotation. He is merely trying to keep a place there.
As he walked off the mound, there was an audible appreciation that went beyond Cain’s performance, in which he overcame a tight strike zone to hold the Arizona Diamondbacks to a run on five hits in six innings. Even those fans who want to put Cain out to pasture had to savor another opportunity to celebrate the pitcher who authored the only perfect game in franchise history, formed an essential part of two World Series-winning rotations and quietly shined for years while riding in Tim Lincecum’s sidecar.
Cain even helped himself avoid a ritual Caining – one of those 26 starts mostly from his youth when he lost despite giving up two runs or fewer.
His double in the fifth inning started the Giants’ three run rally against right-hander Shelby Miller. Cain swiveled his hips, swung his bat like a Big Bertha and sweetspotted a 94 mph fastball, placing it on the fairway so well it split the outfielders in left-center.
Then Cain and new third base coach Phil Nevin conspired to score from second base on Denard Span’s single to center.
The Giants added from there. Brandon Belt walked, Hunter Pence took a broomstick swing at an outside pitch and poked it to right field for an RBI single, and Conor Gillaspie, making his first start of the season, singled to left to plate another run.
With the rain moving in, the game became official the moment the Giants took the lead.
It didn’t start out with such promise. Cain’s first pitch of the night resulted in a triple, along with an audible groan as fans settled into their seats. A.J. Pollock scored on a sacrifice fly. For those susceptible to confirmation bias, that was enough.
Cain’s next turn in the rotation falls on a day off. It already appeared automatic that the Giants would skip him, or worse. And they still might.
But Cain gave the coaching staff and front office more data points to consider. His fastball touched 92 mph as he pitched around an error in the second inning, he struck out Paul Goldschmdit in the third and bottled up a Diamondbacks offense that has proved tough to tame thus far.
Over one three-inning stretch, he retired nine of 10 batters and struck out six of them.
He needed help after Jake Lamb threaded a double, Yasmany Tomas walked and Bruce Bochy came out to collect the baseball in the sixth. Right-hander Cory Gearrin’s sinker, designed for double-play grounders, showed sharper teeth. He struck out the side.
The Giants finalized n their minor league contract with veteran outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. and he has reported to extended spring training in Arizona, GM Bobby Evans said.
Posey told Bochy he n was feeling better a day after being placed on the 7day concussion list. Bochy took it as a good sign that Posey wasn’t bothered by crowd noise or the lights and is watching games from the dugout.
It’s good thing noise didn’t bother him. Posey heard cheers when he received his Gold Glove in a pregame ceremony, along with Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik. They are the first trio of Giants in 22 years to win Gold Gloves in the same season.