Giants-Rockies Preview
Matt Cain was relieved to record his first victory in about 10 months for the San Francisco Giants, and he hopes his next doesn't take so long. Cain looks to build some momentum while helping the Giants remain red-hot when they open a 10-game road trip Friday night against the Colorado Rockies. San Francisco (30-19) wrapped up a 5-1 homestand with a sweep of San Diego and seeks its sixth straight win while improving on a 13-1 stretch. That would take the Giants improving on their 3-4 mark against Colorado (22-24) this season. Cain (1-5, 5.37 ERA) has been great in his last three starts and finally picked up a victory Saturday. The right-hander held the MLB-leading Chicago Cubs to one run in six innings of a 5-3 win. It was his first victory since July 22, snapping a streak of 15 winless starts in which the Giants went 3-12. ''When you haven't had one in a year, it's pretty nice to have,'' Cain said. ''You want to go out there and give your team a chance to win. When your team wins, it's great, but it's also nice to have one when you haven't had one in a long time.'' Cain made only 26 starts over the previous two seasons while battling a series of injuries, and his beginning to 2016 didn't go so well either as he posted a 7.89 ERA over his first six outings. However, he has a 1.71 ERA in his last three starts while striking out 17 and walking four in 21 innings. Colorado played a big hand in Cain's rough start, shelling him for 14 runs and 16 hits over 8 2/3 innings to hand him a pair of losses - 11-6 in Denver on April 14 and 17-7 on May 5 in San Francisco. The 12-year veteran's ERA against his NL West foe jumped from 3.23 in his first 35 matchups to 3.58. Colorado starter Tyler Chatwood (5-3, 3.02) was also left with a poor result at Coors Field against the Giants on April 12. Chatwood was rocked for five runs and 11 hits in six innings of a 7-2 loss. After holding a 1.88 ERA in his first five starts against San Francisco, the right-hander has a 7.00 ERA in the last three. Chatwood has pitched at least six scoreless innings in three of his nine outings, and he gave up one run in six Saturday. He held Pittsburgh to six hits during the Rockies' 5-1 victory and set the franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings on the road at 27 2/3. ''It's pretty cool to have the record but even better that we scratched out the win,'' Chatwood said. But the five-year pro has experienced two different seasons in Denver and away from it. He is 4-0 with a 0.53 ERA on the road, easily the majors' best away from home, but is 1-3 with a 6.65 ERA at Coors Field. Surprisingly, Cain has the best batting average of current Giants hitters against Chatwood with three singles in four at-bats. Gregor Blanco (4 for 9) and Brandon Crawford (7 for 17) have also seen him well. |