Cain Back On Winning Side

Henry Schulman - San Francisco Chronicle (SFGate)

It really was not a fair fight. The Nationals have five-eighths of their Opening Day lineup on the disabled list, including their 3-4-5 hitters, plus their closer. Another top hitter missed three of the four games with an illness. An injury and a doubleheader forced them to call up Triple-A starters for consecutive games. In other words, the Nats are a Grade A mess.

Still, they did not stand at the gates handing out victories along with bobblehead dolls and bank-sponsored T-shirts. The Giants had to visit National Park four times and play good baseball. They did, and emerged with a sweep and their first four-game winning streak of the season.

In the 3-2 finale Monday night, Matt Cain earned his third win, which did not happen last year until July 4. Randy Winn stayed hot with two RBI hits, a single and a double. Bengie Molina doubled home a run and threw out two potential base thieves in the first inning. Relievers Keiichi Yabu and Brian Wilson each got critical outs when the game could have turned.

The sum was the Giants' seventh consecutive road victory, making them the first National League team to do that since 2004, and yes, the players were talking sweep before the finale.

"We had an opportunity to win the fourth game, and it was just that much added emphasis going out there and getting the job done," Wilson said after earning his 18th save in 20 chances, his first four-out save of the season.

The sweep must be cast against the wretchedness of the home team. Nonetheless, wins are wins, and the Giants have launched themselves in the direction of .500.

And get this: Although still six games below break-even, they have moved five games behind first-place Arizona in an increasingly pungent National League West. Three weeks ago, they were 12 games out. General manager Brian Sabean was ridiculed last month for saying the Giants could contend if they hung around third place.

Now look.

"We felt the same way, the club, myself," manager Bruce Bochy said. "It's not just us. Other teams in the division are playing better ball. We've picked it up on this road trip, but so have San Diego and Colorado. Now we've still got to fix the problem at home, where we're not winning as much as we want to or need to."
The Giants are 13-19 at home, 16-16 on the road.

Cain (3-4) looked impressive in recording his first road win of the season. He threw 78 strikes among 107 pitches, a marked improvement in control. Asked how he did it, Cain said he sought advice from a number of pitchers on the staff, including Tim Lincecum. The message was to be more aggressive and force the hitters beat him.

"I asked what Timmy's been doing, and (Jonathan) Sanchez, to see what's going on," Cain said. "The big thing is they've been going after guys. Timmy's been doing something magnificent. I was picking his brain a little bit to see what was going on."

First innings have been rough on Cain, but in this one, Molina helped his batterymate by throwing out Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge trying to steal second base. Cain couldn't remember having two of his runners thrown out in a game, much less an inning.

Cain pitched into the seventh, his signature moment a 12-pitch strikeout of Jesus Flores, one of Washington's best hitters, to strand the potential tying runs in the sixth inning. The strikeout pitch: a slider.

With two on and one out in the seventh, Bochy called for Yabu, who threw a filthy, 93-mph cut fastball that resulted in an inning-ending double play by pinch-hitter Aaron Boone.

Tyler Walker retired the first two Nationals in the eighth, one on a leaping catch by just-inserted first baseman Rich Aurilia. The Nats then loaded the bases against Walker, who appeared to tire, according to Bochy. "Polar bears don't do too well in the heat," Bochy joked.

The Nats got their second run when Molina tried to pick off Willie Harris at second base and threw the ball into center field. Alex Hinshaw then walked Kory Casto to reload the bases, but Wilson came into the game and retired Felipe Lopez on a low fly to right. Jose Cas- tillo made a throwing error in the ninth, but Wilson got a double-play grounder by Cristian Guzman.

The Giants then flew to Colorado, where their run of 12 victories in 18 games began. Now, strange as it might have sounded a month ago, the sinking Diamondbacks need not worry only about the second-place Dodgers, but about the Giants as well.

When the Diamondbacks raced to a 27-15 start, it appeared the rest of 2008 would be their division-title coronation party. But Bochy said, "That was a start. That's all it was. Arizona has had some injuries, like all teams do. They had a great month. Any club can reel off a good month and get back into this thing.
"We're not even at the All-Star break. There's so much baseball left. That's what you have to believe."