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Giants call on Petit in clash with Marlins

May 16, 2014 - 2:57 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Yusmeiro Petit will be called on to make another emergency start when the San Francisco Giants go for a second straight win over the Miami Marlins Friday in the continuation of a four-game series.

Petit will fill in for Tim Hudson, who is bothered by a left hip strain that is not deemed serious. Hudson is expected to make his next scheduled start on May 22 at Colorado and 4-2 with a 2.09 ERA in eight starts.

San Francisco had to call on Petit's services for an April 29 start against San Diego after scheduled starter Matt Cain suffered a laceration on his right index finger. Petit threw six shutout innings in the 6-0 win, but struggled the next time out on May 5 at Pittsburgh, which hammered him for eight runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Petit tossed an inning of scoreless relief in Tuesday's 5-0 loss to Atlanta and is 2-1 in 11 games (2 starts) with a 4.85 earned run average. He has made two career starts against Miami, going 1-0 with a 3.18 ERA.

Cain picked up his first win of the season in Thursday's 6-4 series-opening victory over the Marlins and was able to recover after a few rough innings. He gave up four runs over the first three innings and settled down to last 7 2/3, striking out seven and walking three to improve to 1-3.

"He didn't cave in," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of Cain. "He gave up four runs in the first three innings and here he is in the eighth. It says a lot about him."

Cain's win was made possible when Buster Posey stroked a two-run double in the fifth inning and Michael Morse later plated him with a base hit. Morse had three hits, including a two-run home run, and Hunter Pence finished 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. Pence has 12 hits in his last six games.

Jeremy Affeldt got the final out of the eighth inning and Sergio Romo nailed down his 14th save with a 1-2-3 ninth.

The NL West-leading Giants have won 16 of their last 21 games and improved to 10-4 in a stretch of 17 games in 17 days. The next scheduled day off is Monday, May 19. San Francisco is 13-6 at home.

Miami blew an early 4-1 lead and starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi was saddled with the loss, as he gave up all six runs and nine hits over 4 1/3 innings.

"Any time I got ahead, I left a fastball up or down the middle," Eovaldi said. "It's tough, especially when we keep scoring runs."

Garrett Jones belted a two-run homer and Derek Dietrich went deep for the Marlins, losers in six of seven games after winning five in a row. The Marlins fell to a 2-6 on an 11-game road trip.

Marlins slugging outfielder Giancarlo Stanton extended his career-best hitting streak to 17 games, finishing 1-for-3 with a walk. He is batting .417 in that time with 11 runs, 13 RBI and 25 hits.

In other team news, Miami said on Thursday that pitcher Jose Fernandez has decided to undergo Tommy John surgery. The surgery will take place on Friday in Los Angeles and he will be out of action for at least 12 months.

Henderson Alvarez draws the start for the Fish Friday and he is 2-3 with a 3.33 earned run average in eight starts. He was 2-0 in his previous five outings until Sunday's 5-4 loss at San Diego, as he permitted five runs and seven hits in four innings.

Alvarez was coming off a six-hit shutout of the New York Mets on May 6. The right-hander is 0-2 in four road assignments this season and lost his only start against the Giants in a 6-4 defeat last August 17, when he allowed four runs in seven innings.

Miami and San Francisco are meeting for the first time since the Marlins took four of seven matchups a season ago (3-1 on road). The Marlins have come away victorious in 12 of the last 16 visits to AT&T Park.