(Sports Network) - Matt Cain will make one of his final tuneups for the San
Francisco Giants before the postseason tonight in the middle installment of a
three-game series versus the Arizona Diamondbacks at AT&T Park.
Cain has won a career-high 15 games (15-5) this season and is 5-0 in his
previous eight starts. He has allowed one run in each of his past two outings
and threw eight innings of one-run ball in a 7-1 victory versus Colorado last
Wednesday.
The right-hander lowered his earned run average to 2.86 in his 30th start and
will face Arizona for the fourth time this season. He is 2-0 in the initial
three appearances and 12-6 with a 3.48 ERA in 26 career starts in this series.
Cain also owns a 7-3 record in 14 starts at home in 2012.
Tim Lincecum, however, hasn't fared too well at home, falling to 4-9 in 17
starts at AT&T Park following last night's 7-2 loss to Arizona in the series
opener. Lincecum was shelled for seven runs and five hits in four innings.
"He was just off tonight, not much to say about it," Giants manager Bruce
Bochy said of the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner.
Buster Posey knocked in a run and Ryan Theriot added a pinch-hit RBI double
for the NL West-champion Giants, who have lost two in a row following a six-
game winning streak. Posey is one RBI shy of 100 on the season.
San Francisco is 6-2 on a 10-game homestand.
The Diamondbacks are 5 1/2 games off the final wild card berth in the National
League with eight to play and it's highly unlikely that they will make a run.
Arizona has won seven of its last nine games and improved to 4-1 on a seven-
game road trip with Tuesday's victory by the bay. Paul Goldschmidt hit a
three-run homer and finished with a career-best five RBI, while Aaron Hill
went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and Justin Upton crossed the plate on a
wild pitch for the Diamondbacks.
D-backs starter Josh Collmenter gave up just one run on two hits and two walks
with four strikeouts over five innings for the win.
"He did a great job for us today," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson said of
Collmenter.
Wade Miley looks to keep Arizona's spirits up when he toes the rubber
Wednesday night. Miley has won two of three starts and benefited from plenty
of run support in Friday's 15-5 bashing of Colorado at Coors Field, where he
yielded five runs and 10 hits in six innings.
The All-Star Miley is 4-2 in his last six decisions and 16-10 with a 3.25
earned run average in 30 games (27 starts) this season. He lost to the Giants
on Sept. 15 in a 3-2 affair in which he gave up three runs in seven innings
and is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA in two games (1 start) lifetime in this series.
Arizona is 9-7 against the Giants this season and has won four of the last six
matchups between the division foes.
The Sports Network