Giants place Cain on DL with back injury, plus Bumgarner’s Cy Young hopes, lineup

Giants place Cain on DL with back injury, plus Bumgarner’s Cy Young hopes, lineup The Giants needed to clear a spot for reliever Cory Gearrin, and no team wants to cut a player this close to roster expansion. Odds were the Giants would place another pitcher on the disabled list instead, and on Thursday they did. [...] all players have aches and pains in mid-August that could warrant trips to the disabled list, and Bochy went on record saying Cain was hurting during Wednesday's loss to the Pirates. Cain did not complain of back pain during his postgame press debriefing - not that he ever would volunteer it - and said he would be disappointed not to pitch against the Dodgers in Los Angeles next week. Gearrin was an integral part of the bullpen, essentially replacing an injured Sergio Romo, before he had to go on the DL with a shoulder strain. Yeah, the Mets are not on fire right now, but starter Jacob deGrom is. Since a five-run, early-exit game in Miami on July 23, deGrom has allowed a total of two earned runs in 27 2/3 innings in four games against the Rockies, Yankees, Tigers and Padres. If you haven't noticed, the Giants' offense is still not having much success with runners in scoring position, although manager Bruce Bochy likes what he has seen the past few games. [...] if the Giants can score a few runs, they have a shot to end a four-game losing streak because of who is starting for them. Bumgarner leads the National League in innings pitched (170 2/3 innings) and the 2.11 ERA he carries into the series opener against New York ranks second only Clayton Kershaw (1.79), whose injury will prevent him from winning. (deGrom is fourth at 2.30). No matter which Giants unit is going best, any potential turnaround from this awful second-half start will begin with the rotation, and the rotation begins with Bumgarner. More significant, he has struck out 18 times in 53 plate appearances over the 11 games. "Belt got a big hit there against a tough left-hander," Bochy said, referring to a ninth-inning single against Tony Watson that loaded the bases in the ninth inning Wednesday.

Read full article here