"Matt Cain has been scratched from today's scheduled start against Colorado with inflammation in his throwing elbow. Manager Bruce Bochy said the injury is not serious, but the staff surely will be cautious with such a precious arm.

"Obviously we hope it doesn't have to take missing more than one start," Bochy said. "We'll see where he's at in a couple of days. Now's the time to back him off and calm this down a little bit."

Bochy said Cain felt soreness after his first Cactus League start Sunday and had an MRI exam, which revealed the inflammation. He pitched two shutout innings in that game.

Bochy assures Zito: Bochy conveyed the same message during a private meeting with Barry Zito and in a session with reporters: "He'll be our fourth starter," Bochy said.

The Chronicle reported earlier in the day that Zito was walking a fine line with the organization. The paper quoted a source saying the left-hander's status in the rotation was "definitely not safe" and the team might consider releasing Zito and eating the remainder of his $126 million contract."