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Padres-Giants Preview

Jul 11, 2009 - 6:42 AM By MIKE LIPKA STATS Writer

San Diego (35-50) at San Francisco (47-38), 9:05 p.m. EDT

The way two of Matt Cain's teammates have handled the San Diego Padres' punchless lineup this week, the first-time All-Star could be forgiven for looking forward to his turn against the NL West's last-place team.

The San Francisco Giants have flirted with one no-hitter and finished another already in the series, and the Padres will be trying to avoid a seventh straight loss overall and a ninth consecutive defeat at AT&T Park as the four-game set continues Saturday.

Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Thursday's series opener, a game in which the NL wild card-leading Giants (48-38) eventually settled for a 9-3 win.

Coming off nearly three weeks in the bullpen, however, Jonathan Sanchez completed the first no-hitter in the majors this season in Friday's 8-0 victory, with Juan Uribe's eighth-inning error the only thing separating Sanchez from a perfect game.

"I think if you looked at the staff, he wouldn't be the one you picked," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "He came out throwing 94-96 (mph). He just had incredible stuff."

Sanchez struck out 11 as San Diego's team batting average fell to .232, easily the worst in the majors. The Padres (35-51) have lost six straight for the third time this year, but they haven't dropped seven in a row since last season.

It would seem difficult to reverse their woes against Cain, who could join Colorado's Jason Marquis as the NL's only 11-game winners. Marquis is also scheduled to pitch Saturday.

Cain (10-2, 2.42 ERA) has often been overshadowed by Lincecum's dominance, and he'll have a difficult time matching Sanchez's feat, but he has been an indispensable part of San Francisco's impressive staff.

The Giants lead the majors with a 3.47 team ERA, and Cain has allowed two or fewer runs in 13 of his 17 starts. He's done that eight times in his last 10 outings, with the latest coming Monday against Florida.

He pitched 6 2-3 innings, allowing two runs and five hits in a 5-4 win.

Cain had gone 10 straight starts against San Diego without a victory before April 21, when he allowed two runs in six innings of the Giants' 8-3 win.

The Padres will counter with Luis Perdomo, who will be making his first career start. The rookie right-hander has made 19 relief appearances, including the opening game of this series, when he threw 1 1-3 scoreless innings.

Perdomo (1-0, 3.77) walked two in that outing, and has issued 15 free passes in 31 innings.

He'll have to face a San Francisco lineup that has been quietly heating up. The Giants have scored six or more runs seven times in their last 13 games, with Pablo Sandoval leading the way.

The young infielder was 2 for 3 with a three-run home run Friday and is batting .374 with 11 homers and 31 RBIs in his last 33 games. Seven of his 14 home runs this year have come in Cain's starts, including a grand slam Monday.

"He's a huge part of this offense," Bochy told the Giants' official Web site. "We're a different club without Pablo in the lineup; we've seen that."

The Giants have won eight straight home games against San Diego dating back to last season, and the home team has won all 10 games between the clubs in 2009, with San Francisco going 4-6.