Matt Cain News

"Maybe August will be Matt Cain's month. The Giants right-hander hasn't had a winning month in nearly a year, a mind-boggling run that was extended in July when Cain went 2-3 despite logging a 1.88 ERA - fifth best among National League pitchers. Cain's first start of the new month couldn't have gone much better, as he pitched effectively into the seventh inning and earned the win in the Giants' 4-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night. "You don't think about wins and losses, but sometimes it is tough,'' said Cain, who hasn't had a winning month since last August. "The biggest thing is just keep on doing what you're doing.'' The Giants' offense and bullpen did their part, too, on ..."

"With the playoffs out of the question and the Giants in 2009 preview mode, their goal over the final two months simply is to play better until the time comes to dust off their golf clubs for the winter. So far in a very young August, so good. The Giants won for the third time in four games this month Monday night, riding another excellent start by Matt Cain to a 4-2 victory against the Atlanta Braves and their Rookie of the Year candidate, starter Jair Jurrjens. The Giants had the kind of game they would script. They forced the action with their baserunning, hit well in the clutch, took advantage of their opponents' mistakes and generally outplayed an Atlanta team missing an injured ..."

"Does the earth have to move for Matt Cain to get a win against the Dodgers? Actually, even that could not do it. Hours after an earthquake shook Southern California, Cain pitched a fine game for seven innings Tuesday night yet fell to 0-5 in eight career against Los Angeles, which won 2-0 behind a pitcher lifted from the scrap heap and one of the most bizarre plays and umpiring decisions to befall the Giants in a long time. For the sixth time this season, the Giants failed to score while Cain was the pitcher of record. He fell to 6-9 in a game his team surely felt he deserved to win. The calm of a 0-0 game was shattered in the fourth inning when James Loney hit a shot off Cain's right ..."

"Chase Utley says he's paying attention to trade rumors that could affect the Phillies. “You want to know what the possibilities are out there,” Utley said Tuesday before playing in his third All-Star Game. “I know our organization wants to win, and if they can find a piece that will fit into our puzzle to give us a better chance, they'll do that.” The latest has the Phils hoping San Francisco, an NL West pretender, will shop 23-year-old right-hander Matt Cain. Word is the Giants might part with Cain, who is 5-7 with a 4.06 ERA in 20 starts, if offered an intriguing package of young talent. Meantime, a Phillies source shot down continued rumors that they're hot for Toronto righty ..."

"The Cubs wasted a strong outing by Jason Marquis on Tuesday night at AT&T Park, losing 2-1 to San Francisco and falling to 1-4 on their 10-game trip. Marquis turned in one of his better outings, allowing two runs on four hits over seven innings. But he was outpitched by Giants starter Matt Cain, who improved to 5-6 with eight shutout innings, allowing just two hits while striking out 10. "Matt threw the ball real well," Marquis said. "His talent speaks for itself.""

"The most anticipated pitching matchup of the Bay Bridge Series exceeded expectations Saturday night. The A's Rich Harden and the Giants' Matt Cain put on an impressive power-pitching show, combining for 20 strikeouts and big numbers on the scoreboard radar gun at AT"

"This is a town familiar with concession speeches. Even in spring training, so many observers called for the Giants to make one, you'd think the club was seeking the Democratic nomination. But they didn't draft any platitudes as they kicked the ball around the Cactus League, and you'd better believe they won't forfeit the season now. Not after they completed a rare four-game road sweep with a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals Monday night."