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Cubs-Giants Preview

Aug 12, 2010 - 5:54 AM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Chicago (48-65) at San Francisco (64-50), 3:45 p.m. EDT

No pitcher has been tougher to hit at home than Matt Cain. The Chicago Cubs know how tough he can be.

The San Francisco Giants look for Cain to continue his dominant form at AT&T Park on Thursday when they complete a four-game set against the Cubs.

Cain (9-9, 3.06 ERA) is 6-3 with a 2.48 ERA in 11 home starts, limiting hitters to a major league-best .187 average. The Giants have won six of his last seven starts at AT&T Park and he's pitched at least seven innings in each victory.

The right-hander is 4-1 with a 2.17 ERA in five career starts there against the Cubs (48-66). They have batted .168 against Cain in eight outings for the lowest average against him by any NL team.

The Giants (65-50) had won four straight starts by Cain overall before Saturday's 3-0 loss at Atlanta, where he went five innings and gave up all three runs. The right-hander was 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA in his previous four outings.

San Francisco will have to avoid looking ahead to Friday's opener of a three-game home series with NL West leader San Diego. The Giants trail the Padres by 2 1/2 games, and Jonathan Sanchez - Friday's starter - already has boldly guaranteed a sweep.

"This is what you play for," manager Bruce Bochy said. "You talk about this in spring training. You want to be in it. We haven't accomplished anything yet."

Before that big series, San Francisco will try to take advantage of a depleted Chicago team. The Cubs scratched Aramis Ramirez an hour before the first pitch of Wednesday's 5-4 loss with a sore ribcage, and first baseman Derrek Lee is on the bereavement list and can't play before Friday.

The Giants have won two of three, with Pat Burrell going 5 for 12 and Pablo Sandoval 6 for 12. Burrell was the hero Wednesday with a go-ahead solo homer in the eighth inning to finish with three RBIs.

"Burrell was a big thorn in our side on some bad execution of pitches," said acting Cubs manager Alan Trammell, filling in while Lou Piniella is helping his ailing mother in Tampa, Fla. "Those are some of the growing pains hopefully we learn from."

The victory came after shortstop Edgar Renteria went on the disabled list for the third time this season due to a strained left biceps. Juan Uribe replaced him at shortstop.

The Giants added an infielder by acquiring Mike Fontenot from the Cubs before Wednesday's game. He's batting .284 with 20 RBIs in 75 games.

The hitting star for the Cubs in this series is rookie Starlin Castro, who is 6 for 15 with three RBIs. Castro is batting .313 for the year.

Chicago's Randy Wells (5-10, 4.37) goes to the mound having lost three straight starts for the first time in his three-year career, posting a 6.48 ERA. He gave up three runs in seven-plus innings Saturday in a 4-3 loss to Cincinnati.

The right-hander has a 6.75 ERA in losing his last four road outings. He lost to Cain in his lone career start against the Giants, giving up five runs over 5 1-3 innings in a 5-1 road loss Sept. 27.