"Matt Cain had two histories against the Phillies. One included a winless mark and a 6.23 ERA in five career regular-season starts.

The other was his seven innings of dominance against them in Game 3 of the NLCS last season.

Cain wasn't dominant Wednesday night, but he was just as unyielding as last October. He allowed only an unearned run while pitching into the eighth inning, and Brian Wilson retired Ryan Howard again on the way to saving the Giants' 2-1 victory at Citizens Bank Park.

"It was kind of a must-win," Wilson said. "They're a playoff-caliber team. We're defending world champions. So it's rightful to say it was a playoff atmosphere. If we continue to play this caliber of baseball, we'll probably face each other again. So it's good to get these kinds of games."

Now the Giants have a chance to win a very visible series on the road -- and they're expected to have new right fielder Carlos Beltran in Thursday's lineup to help them do it. By trading Zack Wheeler, the Giants' highest profile pitching prospect, general manager Brian Sabean also signaled that it's must-win time.

"Well, he can't do anything but help," catcher Eli Whiteside said of Beltran.

Cain (9-6) doesn't usually need self-help tapes or to trick himself into feeling confident on the mound. But he watched video of his Game 3 start at AT&T Park, reminded himself how he plowed through the Phillies' smart and skilled lineup, then went out and outpitched left-hander Cole Hamels again.

"I think it did (help)," Cain said of his video session. "It's a whole different atmosphere, but it's the same mentality of what I needed to do. You try to get ahead and get these guys in a defensive mode."

Cain had beaten every N.L. team in the regular season except Philadelphia. He didn't miss many bats, recording just one strikeout, but made his meager run support stand to help the Giants draw even in this heavily watched series."