Matt Cain seemed locked in from the first inning, and pitched a complete game 1-0 shutout to get the Giants a sweep. Cain allowed the Nationals just four hits in the game, and worked his way out of a tense situation in the ninth inning to end any threat of a Washington comeback.
Cain did an awesome job and kept the fans on the edge of their seats as he almost single-handedly beat Washington. He did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, and then took a two-hitter into the ninth. After striking out the leadoff man in the ninth inning, Cain allowed the following two hitters to reach base, putting the tying run and go-ahead run on second and third base. He then got Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman to fly out to rightfield, but a strong throw in by Randy Winn kept the tying run at third. Winn would also catch the final out of the game off Austin Kearn’s bat a few seconds later to finalize the victory. Cain finished the day with four strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 3.82.
There was really not much offense from either team, Cain pretty much dominated the Washington hitters for the majority of the game, and San Francisco scored the solo run of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning. Steve Holm started the inning with a single, and was lifted for pinchrunner Eugenio Velez who advanced to second on Cain’s bunt. Velez would come around to score on a Winn single up the middle to give San Francisco all the offense they would need to earn the win.
Tomorrow the Giants will host Arizona in a weekend series. Jonathan Sanchez and Dan Haren will start the game for their respective teams at 7:15 p.m. After sweeping the Nationals, the Giants have all the momentum they need to defeat an important division rival.
