San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain exited his start against the Colorado Rockies in the second inning Friday after suffering a hamstring injury, and the team has subsequently placed him on the disabled list. It’s unclear when he will return.
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Latest on Cain’s Playing Status
Saturday, May 28
Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reported the Giants recalled Chris Stratton from Triple-A and placed Cain on the disabled list.
Injuries Slowing Cain Late in Career
Cain was once a pillar of consistency. Between 2006 and 2013, he made an average of 32 starts and pitched 209 innings per season. But he started just 26 games in 2014 and 2015 combined.
In August 2014, Cain had bone chips removed from his right elbow, and the recovery process affected his preparation for the 2015 season. Compounding his bad luck, he then suffered a right flexor tendon strain, which delayed his first start of the year to July 2.
Giants fans likely wondered whether this was going to be another one of those seasons after doctors removed a cyst from Cain’s throwing arm in February. However, the right-hander had remained injury-free until Friday.
Leaving aside his health issues, it’s fair to wonder how good Cain can be at this point in his career. His ERA climbed to 4.00 for the first time in seven years in 2013, and his next two campaigns were worse. He had a 4.18 ERA in 2014 and a 5.79 ERA in 2015.
Through nine starts in 2016, he is 1-5 with a 5.37 ERA.
After Cain finished sixth in National League Cy Young Award voting in 2012, it looked as though he could become the ace of the San Francisco staff. But that hasn’t happened.
As Cain will miss his next few starts, manager Bruce Bochy might reinsert Chris Heston in the rotation. Heston made four appearances out of the bullpen in April before being demoted, but he made 31 starts last year, going 12-11 with a 3.95 ERA.
Clayton Blackburn could be another option after he put together a strong season in Triple-A in 2015.
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