"Giants right-hander Matt Cain not only looked healthy Monday in his first outing since Feb. 27 but also looked like a guy who hadn't missed any time at all.

Cain, who developed elbow inflammation after his first outing of the spring, pitched three shutout innings and went to just one three-ball count while facing 12 hitters and throwing 43 pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers.

"It looked like the normal Cainer," said catcher Buster Posey.

Even when he ran the count to 3-0 on his final batter, slugger Ryan Braun, Cain turned it into a positive. He threw three straight strikes, including a nasty curveball on the final pitch that Braun swung through.

"That's one of those things you like in spring because you're definitely going to have those situations in the season," Cain said. "You have to find ways to get out of the those situations, so it's nice to go through it now."

Of Cain's 43 pitches, he threw 29 strikes. Manager Bruce Bochy had projected two innings for Cain, but he threw only 10 pitches in the first inning and eight in the second, so Bochy sent him out for the third.

"It looked like Matty didn't miss a beat," Bochy said. "He was letting it go, hitting his spots, and I thought he had great secondary pitches. That was impressive considering he hasn't been out there. He was confident throwing any pitch at any time.""