SAN FRANCISCO — Over this season and the past few years, Matt Cain’s been a shadow of his former self. The right-hander who helped usher in a new era of Giants baseball from 2009-10 is no long around. Be’s still one-fifth of the Giants rotation just as he was in his prime, and he helped the Giants prevent a fourth straight losing series in the second half by winning his 100th game. He didn’t allow a hit over five innings, and the bullpen held a slim lead over the Nationals in a 3-1 win. Here’s more on Cain’s effort (and help from his fellow starters) on Sunday afternoon at AT&T Park.
The big moment
The Giants haven’t gotten many breaks since the All-Star break, but they got two of them to help score a pair of runs. This one is more important because Jeff Samardzija is pinch running in it. More on that below.
At the plate
The Giants put together one of their most well-rounded offensive games of the second half. It didn’t result in an outpouring of runs, but the contributions ranged through the lineup (and bench). Conor Gillaspie keyed the Giants’ first rally, and he continues to dig his feet into his roster spot. The Giants will have to make corresponding moves when activating Matt Duffy and Ehire Adrianza, and Gillaspie’s no shoe-in to get designated for assignment.
Gillaspie tripled and scored in the third inning when Trea Turner failed to start an inning-ending double play at second base. Buster Posey collected a couple of hits, and of course, the only other lineup spot to get a pair of hits was the pitcher’s spot.
Manager Bruce Bochy disappointed many when he removed Cain with a no-hitter in tact, but cheers rained down on AT&T Park when Madison Bumgarner was announced at the pinch hitter. As baseball would have it, he cranked a leadoff double off the right field wall. Just after he arrived at second, Jeff Samardzija emerged from the dugout to pinch-run for his fellow pitcher, who was pinch hitting in place of another pitcher. And as baseball would have it, Samardzija scored the go-ahead run when Anthony Rendon skipped a throw to first past Ryan Zimmerman and down the right field line.
Denard Span continued the ninth-spot’s production, leading off the seventh inning with a triple. He appeared OK legging out three bases despite missing the past two games with a sore quad. Angel Pagan singled home Span to stretch the Giants’ lead to two.
On the mound
In three starts since hurting his hamstring, Cain’s only shown flashes of regaining his May form, when he strung together a 1.59 ERA over 22 2/3 innings. The Red Sox hammered him for five runs in 2 1/3 innings, and the Reds got to Cain for four runs, but he managed to last 5 1/3 innings. On Sunday, Cain put together his most complete start. He battled his command at times, issuing four walks over five innings, but never allowed a hit.
It was a shot in the arm for the Giants front office, too. They’re actively combing the trade market for pitchers, well aware the backend of the rotation has been a weakness like the bullpen. Cain helped clear the picture up. He wasn’t a model of efficiency, averaging almost 19 pitches an inning, but his only perfect frame was undoubtedly the most entertaining.
Cain struck out the side, fanning Trea Turner and Ben Revere before throwing a 3-2 fastball through Bryce Harper. He struck out six in total, one off his season high.
In the ‘pen
George Kontos took the reins from Cain in the sixth inning, and allowed a run on three hits. He escaped the jam by striking out Espinosa and handed the baton to Strickland in the seventh. The right-hander breezed through his inning, and the Javier Lopez-Derek Law tandem posted a clean eighth.
Lopez energized the crowd by striking out Harper, a positive sign for a guy who’s been less amazing against left-handers than the Giants are used to. Law quietly grabbed a temporary promotion, with Bochy rewarding his 11 straight scoreless appearances with eighth-inning duty.
Santiago Casilla nailed down his second save in as many days. It’s the first time he’s done that in over a month.
On deck
Bumgarner (10-6, 2.09 ERA) will temporarily retire his pinch-hitting duties on Tuesday and start against the Phillies. He’s coming off a tough-luck loss against the Reds, when allowed one earned run over eight innings. The Giants, somewhat surprisingly, have lost six of Bumgarner’s last eight starts. First pitch at 4:05 p.m. on KNBR 680.