Making the playoffs for the first time since 2003 has to be the Giants' goal this season. In Wednesday night's 4-1 victory over Colorado at China Basin, Matt Cain almost did something no Giants pitcher had accomplished since that division-winning season of '03.
Cain fell one inning shy of his third consecutive complete game. The last S.F. pitcher to go the distance in three straight games was Jason Schmidt in June 2003.
Nevertheless, Cain deserved top billing Wednesday night. He held the Rockies to four hits. Cain (4-4) walked three (including opposing pitcher Jeff Francis twice) and struck out five.
In his previous start, Cain put together a one-hit, nine-strikeout gem against Arizona on Friday. He wasn't quite as dominant against Colorado, but was plenty good enough.
"I was able to command my fastball a lot better (in the) last start," Cain said, "but my off-speed stuff was still very good today."
So then the question became, could Cain have navigated the ninth? He had thrown 114 pitches. Cain said he could have finished the game, but seemed content with manager Bruce Bochy's decision.
Said Bochy: "It would have grinded him pretty hard" to work the ninth, "and with the load he's been carrying, that was far enough."
Brian Wilson worked a one-two-three ninth to pick up his 13th save.
Troy Tulowitzki's homer in the fourth gave the Rockies a 1-0 lead. The Giants were still trailing with runners at the corners and two outs in the fifth.
Aaron Rowand came to the plate toting a 4-for-38 tailspin and was hitless in his previous 20 at-bats against left-handers. With two outs and Cain on deck, Francis (1-2) needn't throw Rowand anything in the strike zone.
Francis needn't, but he did. Rowand jumped on what had to be a mistake fastball and jolted it to the wall in center for a go-ahead, two-run double.
Considering the slump he has endured, Rowand figured center fielder Carlos Gonzalez was going to make a play on the ball.
"Honestly, right when I hit it," Rowand said, "I thought I hit it right at him. Luckily, I got enough to get it over his head."
Before Rowand delivered, the Rockies had turned three double plays in the game and the Giants had scored one run in the series.
"If a club ever needed it," Bochy said of Rowand's hit, "we did - and he did."
Rowand said negative thoughts are human nature when you're slumping. "When it feels like there are 45 fielders out there, it's tough," he said.
The Giants tacked on two more in the sixth, with Bengie Molina delivering an RBI single for the game's final run.
Molina's hit ended two 0-fers: He had been 0-for-21 overall and hitless in his previous 15 at-bats with runners in scoring position.
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