The San Francisco Giants' Matt Cain: Triumphant Even in Defeat

There are four Featured Columnists for the San Francisco Giants—Evan Aczon, Kevin O'Brien, Danny Penza, and me.  If you ask any of the three other gentlemen, I'm sure they'd tell you the same thing: We've got it easy.

As FCs, we're supposed to write three articles per week about our beloved squad and, if you look around, that's easier said than done.

Except if you happen to rock the mantle for the Gents.

We've got at least three standing excuses to sit at our keyboards every seven days because of Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain.  Most weeks, we're going to get a triple dose of the two youngsters.

Either a double-shot of the Freak with a Cainer back, or vice versa.

The Giants double-barrel is having such a special combined season, you can literally write about every start.  Even a bad one is reason to tapetty-tap-tap, because such is so rare.

If you want proof, check the Kid's latest turn on the dance floor:  8 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, and 2 HR in a complete game loss on the road against the Houston Astros.

This is what passes for a bad twirl to date for Cain.

Of course, it was far from bad as the numbers indicate.  Those who played the game and those who watched will attest—it was more unlucky that anything.

The Giants' righty actually pitched very well, but the 'Stros hit every single mistake he made.

Not simply hit, they obliterated the pitches.  Several weren't even mistakes.

Man, Kaz Matsui yanked some good, 3-2, inside chedda down the foul line that was only in doubt because it was fading foul (or 'fowl' apparently).  It ended up clanging off the metal pole for an official big fly. 

Geoff Blum—Geoff Blum—golfed another dong a nice pitch, Hunter Pence smoked a triple on a true mistake, and Michael Bourn did the same on another decent inside heater to start the at-bat.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Carlos Lee can hit smoke, the smokiest smoke.

El Caballo got one of Cain's quality heaters on the inside corner in the fourth and spun on that bad rider.  Text book squashing the bug, right there.  Lee also launched a shoulda-been bomb off the Crawford Boxes for a double.

Nevertheless, the point is Matt Cain threw six pitches that ranged from "oops" (2-2 fastball over the plate that Pence annihilated for his three-bagger) to "damn fine" (breaking ball at his back foot that Blum took to right).

They all were turned into loud contact and only Lee's single didn't go for extra bases.  Shoot, only Lee's pair of hits didn't go for a minimum of THREE sacks.

San Francisco's secondary gem surrendered eight baserunners in eight frames and four scored.  That's rough.

What made it rougher were the 13 ducks on the Orange and Black pond, often bunched together, that the splinters could turn into a measly three runs.  Don't quote me on this, but I think the Giants had the bases drunk every single inning.

In the same old road ditty, the offense squeezed a meager three runs from the potential bounty.  Oh well.

The game had all the familiar shades of Matt Cain's baptism by fire—pitch well enough to win on 99 percent of the nights, toss in some bad luck, add a dash of frustrating futility with the bat, and wear the loss.

For those counting at home, that makes 17 innings-pitched in the hard-baller's last two starts.  In those 17 frames, Cain has suffered a 13 baserunners, four earned runs, nine strikeouts, two home runs, and a complete game (ironically, for the eight-inning effort).

As well as a no decision and a loss.

Luckily, Giants fans have no reason to worry about the youngster's psyche because he is as mentally strong as he is physically gifted.  His first several years in San Francisco's rotation proved that to the City.

In 2009, Matt Cain is taking his case to the greater baseball world.

Hopefully, you're enjoying it as much as we are.

**www.pva.org**