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Cain earns first win, powers Giants past Rockies

Apr 29, 2008 - 6:43 AM By Ryan McCrary PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (Ticker) - Matt Cain pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings on Monday to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 4-0 victory against the Colorado Rockies.

Cain (1-2) allowed just four hits, walking five while striking out three to earn his first victory of the season. The 23-year-old righthander also improved to 20-5 in his career when the Giants score four or more runs.

"Obviously I want to get deeper into games, but the pitch count kept me from that, walking guys was not so good," said Cain, who threw 108 pitches. "I had good stuff, I was just a little erratic with it. At times I was cutting balls and leaving balls up."

San Francisco gave Cain a rare lead with a two-run outburst in the first off Rockies starter Franklin Morales (1-2), who surrendered four runs, six hits and walked five in just 4 1/3 innings.

Emmanuel Burriss bunted for a single down the first-base line with one out in the first and reached second on a controversial balk, which got Rockies manager Clint Hurdle ejected in the ensuing argument with home plate umpire Paul Emmel.

"He's fidgety," said Hurdle of Morales. "I just thought it was a poor call. That was that. He (Emmel) didn't think so."

Ray Durham plated Burriss with a single to center before Aaron Rowand capped the inning with a two-out, RBI single.

Cain got into trouble in the fourth inning, issuing back-to-back walks to Brad Hawpe and Troy Tulowitzki with one out, but got Jeff Baker to line into a double play to end the threat.

"It's great to get (Cain) a win," San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. "He worked hard out there. He has such great stuff and he is such a good competitor.

"He had trouble getting the ball where he wanted it at times. He has such good stuff he can get away with it."

San Francisco tacked on two more runs in the fifth, while only putting the ball in play on a sacrifice bunt.

"The wheels came off in the fifth," Hurdle said. "There's some flashes of some good things but there's still some inconsistencies."

Morales walked Randy Winn to lead off the inning before Durham and catcher Bengie Molina loaded the bases by drawing walks of their own.

"I think my fastball was cut off," Morales said of his fifth inning woes. "I need to make good pitches to the hitters. I need to throw my pitch. I need to keep my fastball down (better) when I'm not in the stretch."

Kip Wells relieved Morales and promptly walked Rowand on four pitches, followed by a five-pitch walk to Rich Aurilia, giving the Giants a 4-0 lead.

Garrett Atkins doubled with one out in the sixth to extend his hitting streak to 13 games before Hawpe drew his second walk of the game, ousting Cain with runners at first and second.

However, Vinnie Chulk retired Tulowitzki and struck out Baker to end the threat.

"Matt went five-plus (innings), so we still had a lot of baseball left and the bullpen came in and did a great job," Bochy said. "Vinnie Chulk, he had to face some good hitters (with runners) on first and second and he gets it done (before Tyler) Walker and (closer Brian) Wilson (sealed the win). It says a lot about the whole staff."

Wilson tossed a scoreless ninth, allowing two hits but struck out three to secure the shutout.