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Matt Cain was phenomenal in his outing against the Oakland Athletics. Cain led the Giants to a 7-1 victory and helped them complete a sweep against their Bay Area rivals.

Two days after Tim Lincecum’s complete game gem against the A’s, Matt Cain hurled one of his own complete game gems, his 3rd complete game of the season and 7th of his young big league career.

One thing is for certain, Matt Cain is having one of those seasons that people around the nation are going to start talking about. Cain is not only making his case for this year’s National League Cy Young, but he is also making the case to be the starter for the National League team in this year’s All-Star classic in St. Louis next month. 

Matt Cain’s numbers are spectacular as he is now 9-1 with a 2.39 E.R.A.  He ranks 1st in the NL in wins, 3rd in the NL in E.R.A., and is on a personal 7 game winning streak. He hasn’t lost since May 2nd against the now hot Colorado Rockies. He is also 3-0 with a 2.65 E.R.A. in the month of June. 

In this particular outing against the A’s, Cain went the full nine innings, gave up only 4 hits, 1 earned run on a solo homerun by Jack Cust, and had 9 strikeouts en route to a 7-1 Giants victory.

The offense was led by some role players and one unheralded star of this Giants squad. First, Andres Torres, filling in at Centerfield and the leadoff spot for Aaron Rowand to give him much needed rest, went 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.  And Nate Schierholtz vying for an everyday job as the rightfielder for the Giants had a spectacular day as he went 2 for 4 with a HR and 3RBI’s on the day. His homerun was not your ordinary homerun either as he hit a ball into triple’s alley for a three-run inside the park homerun. It marked the 1st homerun of the season and 1st major league career homerun for Schierholtz.  However, Nate will take it anyway he can get in the Giants’ pitcher friendly park.  Schierholtz also threw out Jack Hannahan at second base on a single down the line after Hannahan tried to turn it into a double. All in all, Schierholtz was the star of the game.

Moreover, the forgotten man in this game is Giants young hitting sensation and versatile Pablo Sandoval. Sandoval hit a long 2 run homerun to left field off of A’s young starter Brett Anderson in the first inning to give the Giants a 3-1 lead and it also turned out to be the game-winner.  So Sandoval was the unheralded star in this game and he also played a solid game at 1st base picking balls and stretching like he has played the position all his life. No matter where you put the “Panda”, he is going to give you 110% percent and play that position well and smoke balls when is at the plate. 

Sandoval, like Cain and Lincecum, is a spirited player and is starting to make a name for himself and hopefully he can join his fellow teammates in the All-Star Classic next month.  Sandoval is now hitting .325 on the year (which ranks 7th in the NL in Batting Average) with 6HR and 29RBI. 

Random Fact: In this series, Giants starters went 25 innings, gave up only 15 hits, and struck out 29 batters and gave up only 2 walks en route to a 3-0 record and sweep of the Oakland Athletics. The Giants Big Three (Lincecum, Johnson, and Cain) are proving to be a Godsend for these Giants as their combined record is 21-7, which is best in the Majors out of all the 1,2,3 punches in the rotation around the league.  Giants offense also outscored the A’s 15-3 thanks to some excellent starting pitching by Tim Lincecum, Randy Johnson, and Matt Cain.

Tim Lincecum single-handedly beats the San Francisco Giants’ Bay Area Rival Oakland A’s with his arm and bat in the 3-0 victory. Lincecum was dominant as he threw a complete game shutout and scattered 7 hits and added 8 strikeouts in the game.  It only took Lincecum 110 pitches to finish the game. 

With the score deadlocked at 0-0 in the 5th inning, Lincecum came up with the bases loaded and only one out and  delivered an RBI single, that turned out to be the game winner, and put the Giants up 1-0. Rowand then delivered the knockout punch with a two-run single to left field passed the diving Orlando Cabrera to put the Giants up 3-0. That proved to be all Lincecum needed as he got strong later in the game only giving up 2 hits in his last four innings of work.

Oakland A’s young rookie starter Vin Mazzaro was outdueled by reigning NL Cy Young Tim Lincecum, but he pitched well in his six innings of work. He carried a no-hitter and his scoreless innings streak since his callup and MLB Debut into the 5th inning, but the Giants scored three runs off Mazzaro, which were the first runs he has allowed in his young big league career.  Overall, Mazzaro gave up 6 hits, 3 earned runs and had 4 strikeouts in his outing, but picked up the hard-luck loss. His record fell to 2-1 and his E.R.A went up to 1.37. 

Lincecum was the better pitcher on this given night, but Mazzaro wasn’t bad himself.

 He didn’t allow a hit until Pablo Sandoval’s leadoff bunt single in the fifth and pitched 17 2/3 scoreless innings to start his career.

“I wasn’t expecting him to bunt. It was a good one though,” Mazzaro said. “You have to expect anything from anybody.”

In the end, though, Lincecum dazzled and came on top in the Giants 3-0 victory. With the win, Lincecum’s record went to 6-1 and his E.R.A. lowered to 2.66. 

I guess it looks like this year’s Cy Young at this point in the season is a battle between two Giants pitchers, both just 24 years of age in Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Cain is 8-1 with a 2.55 E.R.A, but Lincecum ranks in the top of the league in strikeouts, innings pitched, and E.R.A.

One thing is for certain, that Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain will most likely be representing the Giants in this year’s All-Star Classic in St. Louis, although centerfielder Aaron Rowand is making a push to make the All-Star Squad. Rowand went 1 for 4 with 2 RBI’s in the game and his numbers for the season are: he is hitting .310Avg. with 6HR and 30RBI and also has 4 stolen bases. 

Randy Johnson became the 24th MLB pitcher to win 300 games. And he may be the last person to do it. After 21 seasons in the big leagues, the Big Unit finally picked up his 300th career victory as a member of the San Francisco Giants.

Johnson, a five-time Cy Young Award winner as his league’s best pitcher, allowed one run on two hits over six innings yesterday as the San Francisco Giants beat the Washington Nationals 5-1 at Nationals Park in Washington.

“This is a long-term thing that has gone on for 21 years and you finally get to this day and know if the team plays well and you pitch well that something can happen that has only happened 24 other times,” Johnson, 45, said. “I’m really at a loss for words.”

A 6-foot-10 left-hander nicknamed the “Big Unit,” Johnson has a 300-164 record, including a 5-4 mark this season, his first with the Giants. He has pitched for six major-league teams.

In this particular outing, Johnson was phenomenal in his start as he threw six innings and allowing only two hits and an unearned run in the victory. He can also thank his teammates for this victory as his defense made some spectacular plays behind him. Centerfielder Aaron Rowand made a diving backhanded catch on a long drive hit by the Nationals’ Nick Johnson and Emmanuel Burriss made the play of the night on a diving grab on the ground ball of Ronnie Belliard and flipped to shortstop Edgar Renteria for a 4-6-3 double play. That was probably the difference in the game as the Nationals were threatening with runners on 1st and 2nd and 0 outs and the Giants leading only 2-0 at the time.  However, Giants ended up holding on for the victory and giving Johnson his 300th career victory.

Closer Brian Wilson came in the 8th inning with two outs and loaded the bases and ran the count full on power hitter Adam Dunn and struck him out on a fastball looking in a 3-2 count to end the 8th inning. Wilson finished the game and picked up the save as he struck out the side in the 9th blowing fastballs by the Nationals hitters and putting his name in the History books as being the one who saved the game for Johnson’s milestone victory. 

Johnson ranks second to Nolan Ryan in major-league history with 4,855 strikeouts, has thrown two no-hitters and won four straight National League Cy Young Awards with the Arizona Diamondbacks from 1999 to 2002. He won his first Cy Young in the American League with Seattle in 1995

On CSNBAYAREA.COM they posted a poll on who is the best 1,2 punch in the NL West? The nominees are as followed: Giants- Tim Lincecum/ Matt Cain, Dodgers- Chad Billingsley/ Randy Wolf, Padres- Jake Peavy/ Chris Young, Diamondbacks- Brandon Webb/ Dan Haren, and Rockies- Aaron Cook/ Ubaldo Jimenez.

In the past, the favorites for the best formidable 1,2 punch in the NL West would have been Cy Young Award winners Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, but in 2009, it has been a different story for the aces of the NL West.  My pick on who is the best 1,2 punch in the NL West is reigning 2008 Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum and the young powerballer Matt Cain.  They are both only 24 years old and both pitch like they have been veterans in the league.  Everytime they take the mound, you feel like you have a chance to win that game just like when many of the other aces in the NL West take the mound for their respective teams.

Let’s breakdown the 2009 seasons of the 1,2 punches in the NL West and also include some accolades to each player.

Giants:

Tim Lincecum RHP 3-1, 3.03 E.R.A 2008 NL Cy Young Award Winner, 2008 NL All-Star Nominee

Matt Cain        RHP 6-1, 2.31 E.R.A.

Dodgers:

Chad Billingsley RHP 6-3, 2.80 E.R.A.

Randy Wolf LHP 3-1, 2.84 E.R.A.

Padres:

Jake Peavy RHP 5-5, 3.67 E.R.A. 2007 NL Cy Young Award Winner

Chris Young RHP 4-3, 4.45 E.R.A.

D-Backs:

Brandon Webb RHP 0-0 13.50 E.R.A., 2006 NL Cy Young Award Winner

Dan Haren RHP 4-4, 2.54 E.R.A. , 2007 & 2008 All-Star Nominee

Rockies:

Aaron Cook RHP 3-3, 4.94 E.R.A., 2008 NL-All Star Nominee

Ubaldo Jimenez RHP 3-6, 4.37 E.R.A

Clearly, the 2009 numbers of these 1,2 punches favor the Giants young aces in Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, who combine with a 9-2 record. 

One thing for sure this season, is everytime Matt Cain takes the ball, his offense has shown up and given him much run support this season compared to what he has received in the past few seasons. Although, it isn’t like Cain has needed that much run support as he has sported a miniscule 2.40 E.R.A. this season to go along with hs 5-1 record. 

Giants starters have a combined 2.03 ERA in the team’s last 10 games to lower their season mark to 3.86, which is good for third best in the National League. Matt Cain, arguably their most consistent pitcher to date, will face the Cardinals after pitching a complete game in his last outing.

Cain will be working with an extra day’s rest, which he won’t need. He has maintained his strength throughout the season, lasting at least six innings in each of his past nine starts — including a complete game last Saturday at Seattle. Cain has thrived with runners in scoring position, limiting opponents to a .100 average (4-for-40) in those situations. He has faced St. Louis just twice in his career, losing his lone decision and posting a 9.58 ERA against the Cardinals. But something tells me that Cain is going to fare better against the Cardinals tonight and lower that E.R.A. a little bit. 

Cain will have to face an injury-riddled Cardinals team that is bringing in some reinforcements to help out the lineup and welcoming some injured players back off the disabled list.  Outfielders Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel, who just got off the DL, but hasn’t played much since he got off, have recently been activated off the DL  and deemed ready to play just in time for Friday Night’s game.  So the Cardinals will have their 3,4,5 hitters in the lineup tonight in Albert Pujols, Ryan Ludwick, and Rick Ankiel respectively.  Cain has his hands full tonight but if he continues to pitch like he has had recently, then he and the Giants should be just fine and continue this mini 3 game winning streak the Giants got going. 

Tune in to CSNBayArea and watch the St. Louis Cardinals take on your San Francisco Giants at AT & T Park. Gametime is at 7:15. Joel Pineiro (5-4, 3.52 E.R.A.) takes the ball for the Cardinals in Game 1 of this series.

  Randy Johnson a.k.a the Big Unit was dominant against the Atlanta Braves in picking up career victory number 299. That leaves him one shy of the big 300 for the 21-year big leaguer’s career. 

 Johnson , at 45, was his old Cy Young self as he nitpicked the Braves hitters and cruised through six innings, giving up only three hits, allowing just one run and adding 5 strikeouts to no walks in his outing.  Johnson also can thank his offense for the run support as the Giants scored 6 runs and pounded 14 hits in the 6-3 victory, to complete the sweep against the Braves.   

The bullpen nearly threw the game away in the three-run lead it inherited, but relievers Merkin Valdez and Brian Wilson restored order. San Francisco’s suddenly productive offense also helped, pushing Johnson to the brink of a historic achievement.  Next time Johnson takes the mound, he will be going for 300 against the Washington Nationals on the road. 

“His next start is going to be exciting,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s about to do something that’s remarkable. … I’m sure he’s been waiting for this moment all year.”

A crowd of 27,744 watched Wednesday night’s win, but the home crowd might not witness Johnson become the 24th pitcher in major-league history to reach 300. His next two starts are scheduled for the team’s upcoming road trip, Wednesday against the Nationals in Washington and June 8 against the Marlins in Miami.

If Johnson doesn’t win either of those starts, he would try again June 13 at home against the A’s, which would be fitting for a local Bay Area guy, born in Walnut Creek and raised in Livermore. Then again, the Expos-turned-Nationals also offer symmetry, because Montreal drafted Johnson in the second round in 1985, long before the franchise moved to Washington and long before Johnson started racking up 299 wins in the big leagues.

Johnson acknowledged “anxiety and a little nervousness” as he peers toward his first crack at No. 300.

“I’d love to do it here in San Francisco, that would make it a little easier for my family and friends,” he said. “But I’m grateful to be in this position. It took a lot of work.”

 Lincecum is 4-1 now with a 3.o3 E.R.A. in 2009.

Tim Lincecum has built a 24-1 record in 41 starts when the Giants score at least three runs for him. The latest instance of this was Tuesday night’s 4-0 triumph over the Atlanta Braves, which featured eight efficient innings from Lincecum.Moreover,  Lincecum was dominant in his outing against the Atlanta Braves Tuesday night. Lincecum showed off his 2008 Cy Young Form in this spectacular performance as he picked up his 4th victory in the 2009 campaign.  Lincecum went 8 shutout innings, throwing 122 pitches and had 8 strikeouts to only 2 walks in the win.  His 8 strikeouts leave him one shy of the big 500 for his young career. That shouldn’t be hard to reach 500 in his next start against the lowly Washington Nationals. 

 The Giants offense was led by none other then the new leadoff man of the Giants Aaron Rowand, who went 1 for 4 and had the game-winning two-run double in the Giants big scoring 2nd inning.

That scoring outburst — which Lincecum hastened by coaxing a walk that loaded the bases for Rowand — seemed to sharpen the right-hander’s focus. From the final out of the Braves’ second, Lincecum retired 14 of the next 15 batters until Jeff Francoeur and Diory Hernandez singled with one out in the seventh.

“When you get a lead like that, you don’t want to let them [catch up],” said Lincecum (4-1), who endured no-decisions in his previous three starts and won for the first time since May 5. “You just want to keep pounding them into the ground.”

And thats what Lincecum did for 8 dominant innings, as he kept pounding and pounding the Braves batters and baffled hitters at times. 

The San Francisco Giants returned home to AT & T Park to take on the Atlanta Braves for a three game series.  After a dismal 1-5 road trip, the Giants were happy to return to the city by the Bay. The Giants offense also showed up at home here on Memorial Day in front of a crowd of 40,000 plus. 

  The Giants offense came alive and they scored 8 runs and added 13 hits as they beat up on the Braves 8-2 in the victory. Edgar Renteria went 2 for 5 with 2 RBI’s against his former team, Randy Winn continued his torrid hitting as he went  2 for 4 with a run scored. But the one guy’s bat who came alive today and had everything going for him in the Giants victory, was firstbaseman Travis Ishikawa.  Ishikawa had a day as he went a perfect 4 for 4 with a HR, 3 RBI’s, 3 runs scored, and he also had a stolen base.  Ishikawa’s splash-hit homerun was his first of the season and it also marked the first homerun for the firstbaseman  position on the season and ended the stat as the Giants as the only team in the major leagues to not have a homerun from the firstbaseman position.  Kudos to Ishikawa for ending that spell and having a spectacular day at the plate. 

 Jonathan Sanchez (2-4) led the pitching for the Giants as he went 5 plus innings and gave up only 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks and added 6 strikeouts in picking up his 2nd win of the season. The Giants bullpen was nearly perfect as Justin Miller, Jeremy Affeldt, Brandon Medders, and Brian Wilson combined for 4 shutout innings and had 4 strikeouts altogether. 

Game 2 of this three game set against the Braves is slated for tomorrow at 7:15 p.m. Ace Tim Lincecum (3-1, 3.45 E.R.A) takes the ball for the Giants as he opposes Braves rookie starter Kris Medlen (0-1, 15.00 E.R.A).

  The San Francisco Giants (19-21) head to Seattle (19-23) to take on the Mariners in a three game Interleague Series. The G-Men are coming off a hard-luck series down in San Diego where they got swept by the Padres and their offense didn’t help the cause and ruined some some superb pitching from the starting trio of Barry Zito (8IP 5H 2R 2ER  4BB 3K  and CG), Jonathan Sanchez (6IP 2H 2R 2ER 3BB 5K), and ace Tim Lincecum (7IP 4H 1R 1ER 1BB 10K).  The Giants offense only scored a total of 4 runs in 3 games and left many runners on base throughout the series. So look for the Giants offense to wake up from this nightmare and show some life up in Seattle. 

   The trip to Seattle also marks the return of the Big Unit to his old roots and where he started most of his big league career.  The Big Unit brings his arm and memories to Seattle as he takes the ball in game 1 of this 3 game series. Johnson so far has had an up and down year as his 3-4 record with 6.86 E.R.A indicates.  The Big Unit will return to the city where he became truly big, as an All-Star and Cy Young Award winner between 1989-98. But the 45-year-old has struggled recently, recording an 11.05 ERA in his last three starts. That’s based on 18 earned runs allowed in 14 2/3 inningsto go with three walks and 12 strikeouts. Johnson has pitched progressively fewer innings in that span, lasting 5 2/3 May 6 at Colorado, five on May 11 against Washington and four-plus last Saturday against the Mets. So look for Johnson to go deeper in this game and with the designated hitter rule in effect, his one and main focus will only be on pitching and pitching only.  Gametime is at 7:10 p.m. It should be an exciting game tonight to watch.  Ciao!!!!

Randy Johnson a.k.a the “Big Unit” picked up his 298th career victory against the Washington Nationals in the Giants 11-7 win.  Johnson was pretty dominant in his 5 innings pitched. He had 9 strikeouts to no walks and gave up only 4 earned runs, mainly to the longball.  Randy Johnson is now 3-3 with the Giants, but has a 5.89 E.R.A.  The Giants offense however, due to a big 5th inning, where they scored 5 unearned runs, gave more than enough support in the victory.  Young rising star third baseman Pablo Sandoval went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and an RBI and the slumping first baseman Travis Ishikawa had a big day, as he went 3 for 4 with a run scored and 2 RBI’.  And Randy Winn continued his torrid hitting as he went 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base. Overall, the Giants offense scored 11 runs and had 15 hits on the day.  The Giants continue the three game series vs. the Nationals as Matt Cain (3-1) takes the ball for the Giants.