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Giants' Cain takes ball vs. Cardinals

May 17, 2012 - 2:54 PM (Sports Network) - Matt Cain did a little bit of everything in his most recent start for the Giants.

The right-hander will next try to pitch San Francisco to a victory this afternoon in the finale of a two-game set with the St. Louis Cardinals and Adam Wainwright, who hopes to find his control on the mound.

Cain won for the first time in five starts (0-2) on Saturday in Arizona. He hurled six innings and scattered a run, three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts one outing after fanning 10 in a no-decision versus the Brewers.

Also impressive was Cain hitting a single to start the fifth inning after getting hit in the left leg by a line drive off the bat of Lyle Overbay the previous inning. The 27-year-old added a two-run double in the sixth.

"It's amazing," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy about Cain's ability to shake off Overbay's liner. "He didn't show anything."

Cain moved to 2-2 with a 2.28 earned run average in seven outings this season and will attempt to even his career record versus the Cardinals, who he is 1-2 against in six career starts with a 4.29 ERA.

He'll be countered by Wainwright, who after picking up his first two victories of the season in successive starts lasted just 4 1/3 frames in a loss to the Braves on Saturday in his second-shortest outing of the season. The righty allowed five runs on nine hits and a career high-tying five walks.

Wainwright's outing was rough right off the bat as he issued two of his walks with the bases loaded in the first and nobody out. He was able to minimize the damage by getting the next three outs, but still fell to 2-4 with a 6.16 ERA on the season.

"You throw 39 pitches or whatever it was in the first inning, you're putting yourself behind," said Wainwright.

The 30-year-old has faced the Giants six times prior, including four starts, and is 1-3 with a 3.38 ERA.

In a matchup between the last two World Series winners, the defending-champion Cardinals bested the Giants 4-1 on Wednesday. Jaime Garcia threw 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball, scattering nine hits and striking out nine without a walk, while David Freese had three hits and a solo homer.

Freese had been hitless in his previous five games entering Wednesday.

"I've definitely had a rough week, but you just show up and keep working," he said. "It was nice to help the team tonight.

Skip Schumaker had a pinch-hit, two-run double and Allen Craig contributed an RBI for the Cards, who have won two straight since dropping four in a row even though outfielder Carlos Beltran was held out of the starting lineup for a third consecutive contest due to a sore right knee.

Madison Bumgarner allowed four runs on seven hits while striking out three without walking a batter in 7 1/3 innings to absorb the loss. Buster Posey had an RBI single among his three hits for the Giants, who have dropped their past two to fall a game under .500 for the season (18-19).

"I think we're okay. We know what we need to do, what we need to work on," said Bumgarner. "We know how to pick each other up."

The Giants won five of seven versus the Cardinals last season.