After his perfect game, Matt Cain rolled out a rather pedestrian effort, clocking only a 43 on the Game Score meter. After The Perfect 36, Matt Cain got walloped for 11 hits and five runs (yikes, a 38!). Two of the hits were homers, one by pitcher and Giants-killer Mike Leake. The Reds got the drama over quickly, leadoff hitter Zack Cozart hitting the first pitch of the game over the left-centerfield wall. You have to figure Cincinnati wanted no part of history--the hapless Dodgers were overwhelmed, being the simpering blue weenies that they are. But Baker's Boys showed some stick tonight and made an ace look ordinary. You may remember Leake from last season when he did this (Game Score 81) and this (Game Score 58) against the Giants. In 2010, when he was a rookie, he gave up 11 runs in only 4-2/3 IP to the eventual World Series Champions, but since then he's been Freakey Leakey (23-1/3 IP, only 3 runs). Tonight was his first career complete game. The Mets helped out the cause by giving the LAtriners a good whipping, so it wasn't an entirely lost evening.
Matty me boy, you set such a high bar, and the rest of the ro' took it as a challenge and they raised the stakes on you. No worries, lad, everyone knows you're grand. Pablo Sandoval stroked one in the 9th to avoid the shutout--you take what you can get in this game, eh?
The Reds are good. And they've got Mat Latos going tomorrow who is always tough and has, shall we say, a bit of history with San Francisco. Should be fun.
GO GIANTS!
--M.C.
1 comment:
Cain's prelimanry standing in the Cy Young dropped a notch today as the Mets knuckleballer pitched 8 shutout inning with 10 K's and only 3 hits, on route to a Mets shutout of the dodgers. His Whip dropped to 0.88 while Cain's rose all the way upto a whopping 0.95. Cain's ERA also went a bit in the wrong direction. If I guy can hit for two cycles in a couple of weeks, I guess a guy can pitch two perfect games in a few weeks. Stay thirsty my friend.
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