Game 38 Thread: May 10 vs. Giants, 1p

Rare Positive Moment

Zack Greinke (5-1, 2.35 ERA) vs. Matt Cain (0-3, 4.35 ERA)

It appears no amount of team meetings, fielding practice, public shaming of an unnamed grumpy, unprepared Dodger, bed rest, chicken noodle soup, prayers, sacrificed chickens, or anything else can shake this team out of its funk. Therefore, I'll have to go to the game and do it myself this afternoon.

Look, it's bad out there. Really bad. Gnats have won 12 of their last 15 games against us, and 6 of 8 so far this year. Unacceptable against not only a rival/nemesis but also the primary competition for first place. We can no longer say "It's early in the season" or "Still tired from the Australia trip."

Greinke today and Kershaw tomorrow give us a good chance to take the next two and get some much-needed momentum. That would set up nicely for the upcoming series with the Marlins. For now, we'll just have to keep admiring Puig's home run last night until something better comes along.

This one, by the way, appears to be televised on FS1 as well as the cursed SportsNetLA, so hopefully more of you will have a chance to watch.

And Now a Message from Matt Cain

(anigif here)

Game 8 Thread: April 6 vs. Giants, 5p

"They say I have a Fathead. They are right."

Zack Greinke (1-0, 3.60) vs. Matt Cain (0-0, 3.60).

Fee fi fo fum, I smell a team from up north trying to sweep the Dodgers today, so let's hope our Boys in Blue haven't traded their bats for some magic beans. Cain is trying to recover from an off year in which he regressed in virtually every category, and Greinke is looking to go deeper than the five innings he lasted in his first start, against the Padres.

It's Yasiel Puig Fathead night at Dodger Stadium (first 15,000 ticketed kids 14 & under in attendance) and — OMFG — you can actually watch the game on TV. It's on ESPN, which means no Vin, but a starving man isn't going to argue which cut of steak he gets. Or something like that.

Post-Game 1 Thread: A Day for Lefties

"How about you and I rule the world five years from now?"

DODGERS 4, GIANTS 0

First off, kudos to the Dodgers organization for the classy and thrilling pre-game ceremonies on Opening Day. There was an impressive star-studded video played on the new Dodger Stadium screens, but the highlight was Sandy Koufax throwing out the first pitch to Orel Hershiser (below). Chills? Chills. SoSG AC, SoSG Dusty and SoSG Sax were in attendance and let's hope we hear from them what the buzz at the stadium was like.

The Dodgers got off to a great start in the first inning off Matt Cain, making him throw a lot of pitches and getting two men on with no out. But Carl Crawford tried to play hero by stealing third and was thrown out easily by Buster Posey, and the inning fell apart after that. Despite making Cain throw 29 pitches, the Dodgers went scoreless in the first.

Clayton Kershaw and Cain proceeded to lock everything down by throwing up matching zeroes for seven and a half innings. Cain ended up with eight Ks, Kershaw seven.

Then came the bottom of the eighth. Bruce Bochy had already pulled Cain after 92 pitches. First up to face reliever Goerge Kontos is Kershaw, who crushes the first pitch to deep center for his first major-league home run. The Dodgers went on to score three more, but of course Kershaw's home run was the game-winner. According to the post-game interview, Kershaw is the first pitcher to throw a complete game and hit a home run on Opening Day since Bob Lemon in 1953.

So, pay the man already. 2013 just got off to a pretty damn fine start.

photo, from 2008, by Jon SooHoo/Dodgers

Game 160 Thread: Oct. 1 vs. Giants, 7p

Aaron Harang (10-10, 3.68) vs. Matt Cain (16-5, 2.77).

The Dodgers have a ghost of a chance at making the playoffs, and Harang will have to have the game of his life against the Giants' ace for the Dodgers to live another day...or eat power pellets in another maze, or however the adage goes. The Cards-Reds tilt started a few hours ago, so the Cards are probably already down a dozen runs or so. Do you believe? PLAYOFFS!

Post-Game 124 Thread: Frustration, Balls

GIANTS 4, DODGERS 1

The Boys in Blue made it really hard to be a Dodger fan tonight. Joe Blanton put the team in a 2-0 hole before recording an out. Kemp-Ethier-Hanley went 2 for 10, with the Dodgers' lone run coming on a bases-loaded Kemp sac fly, which came after A.J. Ellis was thrown out at the plate with the Dodgers already down four.

Giants widen their division lead to 1.5 games. Dodgers to get Cained tomorrow.

Post-Game 101 Thread: Dodgers Pull a Catwoman

DODGERS 5, GIANTS 3 (10)

The Dodgers snuck into AT&T Park and burgled a win from the Giants tonight. Let's face it: Cain vs. Fife? Who expected the Dodgers to win? And who expected Matt Cain to give up three earned runs? Who expected Stephen Fife to hold the Giants to one run over 6 1/3 innings — and contribute a double and run scored? So, expectations: yeah.

The Dodgers carried a 3-1 lead into the eighth, when the increasingly worrisome Ronald Belisario allowed two singles and a double to tie the game. But Shawn Tolleson held the Giants in the ninth, setting the stage for Hanley Ramirez's first home run as a Dodger: a two-run blast off Sergio Romo — only the second homer (and fourth run) he's allowed this season.

Kenley Jansen allowed two hits but managed to get the save. Andre Ethier went 2 for 4 with two runs scored. Matt Kemp went 0 for 5 but made an outstanding catch with two Giants on to end the fourth.

Oh, and about Ramirez's celebratory hand gesture:

@Dodgers @FeelinKindaBlue It's the "Lo Viste" gesture....

— Roberto Baly (@rbaly79) July 28, 2012

Game 101 Thread: July 27 @ Giants, 7p

"...and this is for breaking up the Police!"

Stephen Fife (0-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Matt Cain (10-3, 2.74 ERA)

Remember what happened last time we went to San Fransisco?

Yeah, me neither...

It would be nice to get this road trip firmly in the "back-on-track" category by sending Sumner that excess humiliation back from whence it came.

MLB Team Follows Up Perfect Game With Shellacking By Sub-.500 Team

Nothing like following up a perfect game with a 6-3 loss to the Houston Astros, punctuated by a J.D. Martinez grand slam off of Barry Zito. The Giants fall back to four games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers.

Oh, and Giants first baseman Aubrey Huff was injured rushing from the dugout to celebrate his teammate's perfect game. Says CSN Bay Area:

Huff tripped over the dugout railing and landed on his knee celebrating Matt Cain’s perfect game Wednesday at AT&T Park.

"He’s got a pretty good bruise in the right knee," Bochy said. "It’s a sprained right knee, PCL they call it. So I’m going to get with Brian [Sabean] now and see what we’re going to do."

Huff was seen using crutches before Thursday's series finale against the Houston Astros and was picked up by his wife after the game, not joining his teammates for the trip to the airport to start a nine-game road trip.

(In all seriousness, congrats Matt Cain.)

No Votto Lotto for Dodgers

Reds, Joey Votto Nearing Extension (MLBTR)

Report: Reds close to $200 million deal with Joey Votto (Aaron Gleeman, Hardball Talk)

UPDATE: Cain Expected To Sign Five-Year Deal (MLBTR)

Post-Game 3 Thread: Shot in the Heart, and You're to Blame; You Give the Letter K a Bad Name

GIANTS 10, DODGERS 0

Clayton Kershaw: DNP. Matt Kemp: 1-for-3, double. Kenley Jansen: 1.0 IP, 4R, all earned. Welcome back to earth, Kenley. Too bad you had to do it against the Giants, but now you can work on lowering that 36.00 ERA.

Ted Lilly started the game by giving up four runs of his own (over 4 2/3 innings). Matt Cain, formerly Dodger bait, is no longer scared of us. He scattered five hits over six innings, striking out three.

In happier news, Andre Ethier says hi. He went 3-for-4, and Jamey Carroll went 2-for-4. Oh, and by the way: Russell Martin hit a three-run home run for the Yankees today.

"Hi from New York!"

Sax's note (11:37p): One more update: Adrian Beltre hit his ninth career grand slam tonight to help the Rangers beat the Red Sox, 12-5.

photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images

Post-Game 105 Thread: Game Over

GIANTS 2, DODGERS 0

August 1, 2010, will be known for a few things: the day Matt Cain recorded his first W over the Dodgers, and the day the Dodgers' 2010 became their 2007 (final finish: fourth place). Turns out Scott Podsednik (1-for-4), Ryan Theriot (0-for-4), Octavio Dotel (one scoreless) and Ted Lilly are going to be nothing more than paperweights. But at least they'll be veteran paperweights. Is it bad form to go into rebuilding mode one day after the trading deadline?

A Coup for Sabean?

From "Cain signs multiyear deal with Giants: Young right-hander goes for four years with option for fifth" at sfgiants.com:

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Noah Lowry used the calendar to put Matt Cain's brand-new deal with the Giants in perspective.

"When he's done with that contract, he'll be almost my age," Lowry said.

He's largely correct. At 26, Lowry's still a relative pup. But Cain, 22, will only be 26 by the end of the 2010 season, when the four-year, $9 million contract that he signed Thursday expires. The Giants also hold an option for the 2011 season, meaning that Cain's contractual value is locked in through the years in which he's eligible for salary arbitration....

The Giants seized upon an opportunity to hold onto their own last year by signing Lowry to a four-year, $9.25 million extension with a $6.25 million option for 2010. Sabean indicated that Cain, who earned $328,000 last season, received a deal with similar parameters....

Cain proved he was a keeper last season by finishing 13-12 with a 4.15 ERA. Showing his flair for the spectacular, the right-hander became the first pitcher since 1957 to carry either a no-hitter or a one-hitter through the fifth inning in five starts....

Cain's signing places four members of the Giants' starting rotation under contract through at least 2008. Besides him and Lowry, San Francisco signed Barry Zito to a celebrated seven-year, $126 million deal through 2013 (with an option for 2014) and Matt Morris' three-year deal expires after next season.

Is it possible that Matt Cain will outperform the considerably costlier Barry Zito? Watch and see, and then compare how Ned Colletti treats Chad Billingsley.

UPDATE: Dayn Perry projects Cain as one of his "Top 10 breakout performers for 2007":

5. Matt Cain, SP, Giants
Age: 22

Cain's second-half numbers from 2006 tell the story. Before the break, he logged a 5.12 ERA, 80 strikeouts and 47 walks in 91.1 innings, and after the break he logged a 3.26 ERA, 99 strikeouts and 40 walks in 99.1 innings. That's obvious progress. There's some concern that Cain's control problems and fly-ball tendencies will keep him from achieving Cy Young status, but he still profiles as an ace.