Matt Cain News: Pro Sports Daily

Improvement, and uncertainty, for Matt Cain

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October 4

San Francisco Chronicle

"A few players know. Aaron Rowand has a World Series ring. So do Randy Johnson and Bengie Molina. Randy Winn does not. He has played 1,600 major-league games without reaching the postseason, the most of any active player. Winn tries not to fret over the possibility he could go his entire career without getting there. "You might not have a choice," he said. "I wouldn't be the first in history." As Johnson surveyed the clubhouse, he predicted postseasons in the Giants' near future, assuming the organization makes the right moves for some offense, and suggested the experience of lasting in the race until the season's final week should help the younger guys understand what it takes to go ..."

Giants' Cain values 15 wins

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October 3

San Jose Mercury News

"Cain places high value on reaching 15 wins SAN DIEGO — The magic number for starting pitchers used to be 20 wins. Now it seems 15 has become the benchmark. It's a number Matt Cain hopes to reach in his final start of the season today, for more reasons than one. Lest anyone forget, Tim Lincecum won his 15th Thursday. "It's been fun all year trying to compete with Timmy and push each other," Cain (14-7) said. "In a lot of those (statistical) categories, I'm the one always trying to keep up. But for sure, it'd be nice to get that 15th." Cain, 25, was 12-2 with a 2.12 ERA after his first 21 starts but bogged down as the Giants became serious contenders. Before he beat the Chicago Cubs on ..."

Relaxed Cain puts fun over stress, gets win

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September 28

San Francisco Chronicle

"Whatever their faults, you have to give the Giants this: They reached the season's final week without being eliminated from the playoffs when they beat the Chicago Cubs 5-1 Sunday. Matt Cain rebounded from one of his worst starts as a Giant and held the Cubs to three hits in eight scoreless innings while striking out eight. Five Giants had two hits apiece, including catcher Eli Whiteside, who hit a pair of RBI doubles. Pablo Sandoval and Eugenio Velez had run-scoring singles. "Everybody played loose today," Whiteside said. "We had some pretty good at-bats." Cain definitely looked more relaxed after a series of poor starts. "I think he put a little added pressure on himself," manager Bruce ..."

Relaxed again, Giants' Cain proves able again

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September 28

San Jose Mercury News

"Matt Cain punched the pocket of his glove after his curveball struck out Kosuke Fukudome to end the eighth inning — a moment that seemed to spill over with emotion. For all practical purposes, the Giants aren't playing for the postseason. But Cain reminded them that there's still a lot at stake in these final days. On the final Sunday afternoon at AT&T Park, Cain shut out the Chicago Cubs over eight innings to prevent a four-game sweep. Catcher Eli Whiteside hit two run-scoring doubles as the Giants won 5-1 on Fan Appreciation Day. Cain (14-7) set a career high for victories, lowered his ERA to 2.88 and won at home for the first time since July 6. He had been 0-3 in his previous seven ..."

Cain wins 2009 Willie Mac Award

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September 26

San Francisco Chronicle

"Matt Cain could have made a strong case for the Willie Mac Award last year, when he went 8-14 but easily could have gone 14-8 with a little more run support. He did not whine, publicly or privately, and made a strong impression on teammates. When Cain came to spring training this year in better shape and became one of the most dominating pitchers in the National League for most of this season, his teammates were impressed further, which is why they selected him for the 2009 Willie Mac Award as the year's most inspirational Giant. "He's the kind of guy you want to play behind," said Randy Winn, whose locker adjoins Cain's. "He never complains. He just goes out and gives his all. He ..."

Parting gesture by Giants' Cain wrong thing to do

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August 17

San Jose Mercury News

columnist Gary Peterson

"For most of this season, Matt Cain has been the most pleasant surprise on the pleasantly surprising Giants. With newfound maturity and composure, he has broken through into that happy place where results align with potential. It's an oft-told story at this point how Cain took manager Bruce Bochy's advice to heart last summer and began paying closer attention to his physical conditioning. To look at his numbers is to understand he has evolved from the guy who spent the past two seasons pitching just well enough to lose. You want a face for these Giants? Cain's has been as good as any. He's hit all the right notes, on the field and off. Saturday, against the Mets in New York, he fell off the ..."

Cain hears it in New York

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August 16

San Francisco Chronicle

"Nobody expressed more concern for David Wright than the man who beaned him Saturday, yet Matt Cain now is Public Enemy No. 1 among Mets fans. They booed him every time he batted and as he came out of the game in the eighth inning. "It's New York," Cain said, suggesting he did not care about the reaction. Upon leaving the game, Cain appeared to tip his cap to the booing crowd. National and local broadcasters chided him for a supposedly sarcastic gesture in light of how seriously Wright was hurt. Cain said they were wrong. "I was just adjusting my cap," he said. "They can take it how they want. All I know is I wasn't trying to hit David Wright on purpose. If they think that, that's their ..."

Cain Clearly Upset by Beaning

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August 16

New York Post

"Matt Cain was relieved that David Wright was able to walk off the field after Cain beaned him, and the Giants' righty said he will attempt to reach out to the Mets' third baseman. "I'll try to see if I can get a hold of him [today] or see him at the field or whatnot," Cain said. Cain expressed concern about Wright, who suffered a concussion after Cain's 94-mph fastball smacked him in the helmet during the fourth inning of the Mets' 5-4 loss. In fact, when Cain came to the plate in the fifth, according to Brian Schneider, "[Cain] just asked if David was doing all right. I told him I didn't know." Cain, the 24-year-old All-Star, is a terrific pitcher, but yesterday his momentary loss of ..."

David Wright concussed after fastball to the head

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August 16

New York Daily News

"David Wright was hit in the head by the Giants' Matt Cain in the fourth inning of Saturday's game and spent several moments sprawled on the ground near the plate, not moving, before getting up and walking with trainers back to the Met dugout. He was taken out of the game. Wright was batting with an 0-2 count and Luis Castillo on first when Cain threw a 93 mile-per-hour fastball that slammed into Wright's helmet above the earflap. Wright's helmet flew off and he sank face-first to the dirt. Two trainers came sprinting out of the Met dugout, as did Met manager Jerry Manuel, to attend to Wright. Cain, a hard-throwing All-Star, came in halfway from the mound and sat on his haunches, peering ..."

Cain goes distance, takes loss

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August 4

San Francisco Chronicle

"Bengie Molina clearly was frustrated. He stared into his locker before he showered, then declined to speak after he dressed. With two outs in the ninth inning and Pablo Sandoval at second base after doubling home Eugenio Velez, Molina had a chance to spare Matt Cain his third loss of the season with a single against Astros closer Jose Valverde. Instead, Molina chopped to third, and the Giants lost 4-3 to fall to 21-32 on the road. Make no mistake: Many Giants could have prevented the loss much earlier. Aaron Rowand, Edgar Renteria, Velez and Cain all took third strikes with runners in scoring position against Mike Hampton, who won for only the third time this season when he was not facing ..."

Cain is A-OK with fewer K's Cain is A-OK with fewer K's

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July 30

San Francisco Chronicle

"The old Matt Cain got a kick out of strikeouts. The new Cain prefers quick outs. "It's nice to strike out a lot of guys, but I figure I waste a lot of pitches," Cain said Wednesday after tossing three-hit ball over nine shutout innings in the Giants' 1-0, 10-inning victory over Pittsburgh. He threw 111 pitches and collected four K's. "You try to find different ways to get guys out quicker where maybe you don't have to exert as much energy. Getting them out quicker is a whole lot easier, and you can use those strikeouts when you need them. It helps my game management.""

Cain ready to start on Sunday

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July 18

San Francisco Chronicle

"One big concern going into the break might not be a concern at all. Matt Cain will start as scheduled Sunday after throwing a full bullpen session Thursday and experiencing no significant discomfort in his right elbow, where he was struck by a line drive last Saturday. "Pretty normal," Cain said of his bullpen session. "Everything's good." Cain's elbow was wrapped tightly as he spoke before Friday's game and he continues to get treatment. Manager Bruce Bochy said he had little doubt Cain would be able to pitch the series finale here. "I was comfortable with the diagnosis of him needing five or six days (because of) where it caught on the elbow and how tough a kid he is. I was comfortable ..."

Cain hit by liner; All-Star status uncertain

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July 12

MLB.com

"Matt Cain left the Giants' game against the San Diego Padres on Saturday in the second inning after he was struck by a line drive.With two outs in the second, Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer smacked Cain's 35th pitch of the game up the middle, hitting Cain near his right elbow. X-rays were negative, ruling out any chance of a fracture.After the Giants' 2-1 win against the Padres, Cain said he'll take a wait-and-see approach when it comes to his availability for Tuesday's All-Star Game.Manager Bruce Bochy took it another step further, saying his pitcher was "doubtful.""It's probable," said Cain, who will attend the festivities in St. Louis even if he's unable to pitch. "I'm going to try to stay ..."

Good luck, bad luck for Giants' staff

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July 12

San Francisco Chronicle

"A great Giants' pitching feat Friday was followed by more fine work on the mound on Saturday - but nearly all of it was by the bullpen because All-Star Matt Cain was knocked out early after taking a line drive off his right arm. X-rays ruled out any fractures, but after his team's 2-1 victory over the Padres, San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy called Cain "doubtful" for Tuesday's All-Star Game in St. Louis. Cain called himself "probable," then amended that by saying he's just trying to stay positive. He'll try throwing off the mound today and that will decide things, but the Giants, holding onto the wild-card spot right now, aren't going to take any chances with one of their key figures. ..."

Lincecum, Cain: Vote for Pablo

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July 6

San Francisco Chronicle

"Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain were obviously ecstatic about being named to the National League All-Star team Sunday, but they seemed even more excited about the prospects of getting Pablo Sandoval a trip to St. Louis. Less than two hours after hearing of their selections, Lincecum and Cain were planning the campaign for Sandoval, who is one of five candidates for the final spot on the roster. "It will be mandatory texting on the bus," Cain said. "In between at-bats, we'll probably be voting. Any way we can get him in there, we're going to do it." Sandoval is running against Los Angeles' Matt Kemp, Philadelphia's Shane Victorino, Washington's Cristian Guzman and Arizona's Mark Reynolds in an ..."

Giants' Lincecum, Cain chosen as All-Stars

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July 6

San Jose Mercury News

"Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are All-Stars, and Pablo Sandoval could be joining them. To no one's surprise, both members of the Giants' dynamic pitching tandem received invitations to the All-Star Game on Sunday. Sandoval was caught in a numbers crunch at the National League corner infield spots but can make the team as part of the "Final Five" fan vote that runs through Thursday. Sandoval, who is fourth in the N.L. with a .333 average and leads the Giants with 12 home runs, said simply being considered for an All-Star spot in his first full season is "too much for me" to believe, adding, "I'm so happy." The Giants figured to be well-represented at the July 14 game in St. Louis. Relievers ..."

Cain, Lincecum can't mask team's weaknesses

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June 18

San Francisco Chronicle

columnist Gwen Knapp

"Ever since the Giants crept into the wild-card hunt over the last few weeks, the prospect of playing in October with two young aces on the mound grew more tantalizing with every start they made. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain promised to camouflage a lot of flaws elsewhere on the roster, offering hope that they could take the Giants to the playoffs and then to an upset, past a team that seemed vastly superior in every other way. Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Angels, and the eighth inning in particular, stifled a lot of that hope. For seven innings, Lincecum appeared to be putting the brakes on the Angels' winning streak, which reached five games after they pummeled Barry Zito and Jonathan ..."

Cain is making the Giants' slogan look good

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May 30

San Francisco Chronicle

"Great balls of fire! Matt Cain is 6-1. Last year, Cain did not earn his sixth win until July 24, but he is there now after the Giants beat the Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 on Friday night. The hard-luck spirit has left Cain's body and, by pumping strike after strike into Bengie Molina's glove, he is heeding the strangely nuanced slogan on the Cain banners that the team has plastered all over town. In big letters it says, "Let's Play," and in smaller letters, "With Balls of Fire." The team has gotten the message, too. In winning their fourth game in a row, the Giants improved to 17-6 when they score at least four runs, which they did for the fifth game in a row, against a ..."

High-level source says Cain not being dangled

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May 25

San Francisco Chronicle

"Some years back, there was a Giants beat reporter who was king of the "knockdown note." Whenever you wrote a little trade rumor or some other tidbit, he would come back the next day and say it wasn't true. I used to joke that he programmed his computer so he could hit one key that typed, "Contrary to yesterday's Chronicle...." Just to save himself some keystrokes. Here I am, though, with a knockdown note of my own, which I hate to do because I have the utmost respect for the reporting ability of my talented friend and San Jose Mercury competitor Andrew Baggarly. I don't know if I'm right. I don't know if he's right. But the fact is, he wrote a rather jarring paragraph that said the Giants ..."

Giants pitcher weighs in on his hitting

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April 21

San Francisco Chronicle

"When Matt Cain takes the mound to face the Padres tonight, he has a chance to move into a tie for second place on one of the San Francisco Giants' career lists. Actually, that's not exactly right. When Matt Cain steps into the batter's box this evening, he has a chance to move into a tie for second place on the S.F. career list for pitchers hitting home runs. Cain has gone deep four times. Jason Schmidt and Bobby Bolin hit five homers for San Francisco. Don Robinson owns the record with seven. Though Cain has a career batting average of .103, he's generally considered the best hitter among the Giants' starting pitchers. "He's probably hitting the ball on the barrel most consistently," is ..."

Cain: fine numbers, but drought vs. S.D.

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April 21

San Francisco Chronicle

"Matt Cain's status as an unsupported pitcher gets ample backing from his career numbers against the Padres, whom he faces at AT&T Park tonight. In 15 outings against San Diego, Cain has a 2.92 ERA. That's more than solid. Cain has limited the Padres to a .197 batting average. That's more than excellent. His lifetime record against the Pads? 3-5. But wait, it gets worse. In his last 10 starts against San Diego, Cain's ERA is 3.59. His record? 0-5. Cain last beat the Padres on Sept. 8, 2006, when he limited them to one hit in seven innings in a 4-0 Giants victory along the shores of McCovey Cove. The man who took the loss that night, Jake Peavy, opposes Cain this evening. Peavy and the ..."

Familiar start for Giants' Cain; A's Anderson sharp

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April 5

San Jose Mercury News

"Matt Cain pitched well Saturday but hardly got any run support. Then, the Giants' bullpen blew his lead. Yep, it looks as if Cain is in regular-season form. The Giants' hard-throwing, hard-luck right-hander finished off spring training with a start that seemed all too familiar. Cain gave up one run in four innings and left with the lead before the A's surged back for a 3-2 victory at the Oakland Coliseum. Eric Chavez and Jack Cust hit back-to-back home runs off reliever Ramon Ortiz in the sixth to take the lead for good. Cain also had the misfortune of starting against Brett Anderson, who showed why he earned a spot in the A's rotation by allowing just two runs in 6?2/3 innings in his ..."

Giants not interested in trading Cain

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November 6

San Francisco Chronicle

columnist John Shea

"Yes, teams continue to ask Giants general manager Brian Sabean about Matt Cain. No, Sabean's not budging. At the GM meetings Wednesday, Sabean delivered his strongest statement to date that the 24-year-old pitcher won't be traded this offseason for a hitter. Asked if Cain is untouchable, Sabean said, "Yes. Clubs know that. That hasn't necessarily discouraged clubs from inquiring or making suggestions of offers. But we don't see anything out there that gives us a net gain by losing him." Sabean is seeking offensive help in other ways, including free agency and trades for pitchers not named Cain, Tim Lincecum or Brian Wilson. His best remaining chips include Jonathan Sanchez and pitching ..."

L.A. pins loss on Giants

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September 28

San Francisco Chronicle

""Meaningless game" and "Dodgers-Giants" are two concepts very much at odds. One team goes home after today's game and the other is marking time until the playoffs, yet there was a vibrancy to their game Saturday night. The evidence was everywhere, from the din of 38,673 fans, to a brief benches-clearing ruckus in the eighth inning to all the pitching changes made by manager Bruce Bochy in an ultimately futile bid to win. The Giants fell 2-1 for their 90th loss of the year, with Greg Maddux getting his 355th career win. If the Giants can beat the Dodgers behind Tim Lincecum today, they will finish 72-90. If not, they will match last year's 71-91 record. Maddux apparently has a saying about ..."

Giants' Cain doesn't want to be trade bait

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September 19

San Jose Mercury News

"Matt Cain is already envisioning the moment. He'll feel the bite of a big-mouth bass on his fishing line while his cell phone simultaneously buzzes with a call from his mother. ``You know how moms are,'' Cain said. ``She gives me weekly updates on who was traded or who was picked up. I kind of use her as my ESPN News.'' Cain knows his name will be churning on the rumor mill this off-season. The Giants never were close to trading him last winter, and they don't want to move him now. But they will have to keep an open mind to add a power hitter to their offense, and with young pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson on a rapid rise, they might be more amenable to moving Cain. One rumor ..."

Cain mystery is a Giant story

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September 12

San Francisco Chronicle

"The Giants will head into the offseason with many questions answered about their current players, especially the young'uns. But one big mystery remains. What is up with Matt Cain? Remember his Aug. 20 start against Florida, when he was on a tear and one out away from evening his record at 8-8? A lot has happened to him since then, all of it bad, the worst coming in an 11-3 drubbing by the Padres on Thursday night that ensured Cain (8-12) will finish with a losing record for the second consecutive year. The Padres batted around in the first inning and scored five runs against Cain, three on the first of two Adrian Gonzalez home runs. In fact, the Gonzalez brothers had themselves a game, ..."

Big workload hasn't tired Giants' two aces

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September 1

San Jose Mercury News

"This is the time of year when knuckles tend to drag. The Chicago Cubs' Carlos Zambrano, for instance, will miss his next start because of arm fatigue. But the Giants' Tim Lincecum did his normal side work Sunday and said he felt no effects from his career-high 132-pitch start Wednesday. And Matt Cain said his body feels strong, even though the results didn't back him up Sunday in a 9-3 loss to Cincinnati. The Giants' young aces rank 1-2 in the National League in pitches thrown this season, and even though their team is out of contention, both right-handers said they are ready to take the ball every fifth day through September. Manager Bruce Bochy said he'll use Thursday's day off to juggle ..."

Giants don't plan to give top pitchers extra rest

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August 25

San Jose Mercury News

"Jonathan Sanchez threw vigorously off a mound with no problems Sunday, Matt Palmer is coming off an encouraging start and the Giants' double-barreled shotgun of Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum ranks 1-2 in the National League in pitches thrown. The stars would appear aligned for the Giants to ease up on their starters by going to a six-man rotation in September. But Manager Bruce Bochy doesn't plan to expand the rotation and pitching coach Dave Righetti concurred, saying he wouldn't push back his starters unless they appear to require the extra rest. "There's no plan, but we don't want to overwork them in September, either,'' said Bochy, adding he wasn't motivated to keep Lincecum on a regular ..."

Giants' Cain starts his August with a win

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August 5

San Jose Mercury 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 ..."

Cain, Giants achieving in August

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August 5

San Francisco Chronicle

"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 ..."

Cain remains winless in Los Angeles

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July 30

San Francisco Chronicle

"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 ..."

Utley would welcome some pitching help

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July 16

PhillyBurbs.com

"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 ..."

Cubs handcuffed by Matt Cain, San Francisco Giants

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July 2

Chicago Tribune

"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.""

Harden defeats Cain, Giants

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June 15

San Jose Mercury News

"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"

Cain wins one as Giants sweep Nationals

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June 10

San Jose Mercury News

"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."