Thursday, September 11, 2008

Cain struggles as streak ends at five

Giants righty endures shortest start of the season in rout

Chris Haft - MLB.com
Matt Cain recorded his shortest outing of the season on Thursday night as the Giants' five-game winning streak evaporated in an 11-3 loss to the Padres.

Cain (8-12), who has lost his last three decisions, surrendered six runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings. San Diego jumped on Cain for five runs and six hits in the first inning alone -- contrasting sharply with the right-hander's previous six starts at PETCO Park, where he had compiled a 1.63 ERA while limiting the Padres to a .127 batting average.

Singles by Nate Schierholtz, Pablo Sandoval and Rich Aurilia off Josh Geer (2-0) gave San Francisco a brief 1-0 lead in its half of the first inning. But Cain allowed four runs while throwing his first 13 pitches as Will Venable doubled, Luis Rodriguez tapped a bunt single, Brian Giles lined an RBI single and Adrian Gonzalez hit his first of two home runs. Two outs later, Nick Hundley singled and Matt Antonelli doubled for his first Major League RBI.

Drew Macias homered off Cain with one out in the third inning for his first Major League hit.

Eugenio Velez narrowed the difference to 6-2 with a sixth-inning RBI triple. But Adrian Gonzalez homered leading off the seventh against Giants reliever Pat Misch before Edgar Gonzalez hit a two-run homer off Kevin Correia in the eighth.

Conor Gillaspie, the first player from this year's draft to reach the Major Leagues, pinch-hit for Misch in the eighth inning and grounded out to shortstop in his first big league at-bat.

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