San Francisco Giants Morning Minute: Cain Keeps Rolling, Gillaspie Sets Up Brown

By Sean Bialaszek | May 16, 2016

May 15, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; (L-R) San Francisco Giants Santiago Casilla (46), Brandon Belt (9), Trevor Brown (14), Matt Duffy (5) and Joe Panik (12) react to the umpires overturning a double play after video review in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The San Francisco Giants won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /

On this edition of the San Francisco Giants Morning Minute, we discuss Cain finding his stride, Gillaspie setting up Brown, and more ninth inning craziness.

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Good morning, San Francisco Giants’ fan, and welcome to another edition of the Giants Morning Minute. On Sunday, the Giants knocked off the Arizona Diamondbacks for the fourth straight day, completing a four-game sweep on Arizona’s home turf and gaining revenge for Arizona’s four-game sweep in San Francisco earlier this year. Hunter Strickland was the winning pitcher for the second straight day and is now undefeated in two decisions, while Brad Ziegler (who had pitched 22 consecutive scoreless appearances against the Giants before Sunday) absorbed his second loss of the season. Santiago Casilla earned his ninth save of the year.

The Giants extended their season-high winning streak to five games, and now find themselves a season-high-tying four games over .500. Thanks to a Los Angeles Dodgers loss on Sunday, the Giants are alone atop the National League West. Here’s what went on Sunday afternoon.

1 – Matt Cain Strong Again

There was finally some true optimism around former Giants’ ace Matt Cain following his most recent start against the Toronto Blue Jays, during which he went eight innings and gave up just two runs. That outing began a stretch of five straight games where Giants’ starters gave up two runs or less in six or more innings. Cain built off his last start with another strong outing, and kept that little streak alive for the Giants’ rotation.

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Against the Diamondbacks, Cain allowed seven hits in seven innings, but didn’t allow the Arizona offense to string together enough to score more than once. He struck out five batters, including four in the first two innings, and walked a pair. He also did well to pitch through trouble, stranding runners in scoring position in the third, fifth, and seventh innings, and leaving the bases loaded in the sixth.

Cain again pitched well, but he had to settle for another no-decision on Sunday. Career win number 98 continues to elude him.

Since Cain’s start against Toronto, the Giants’ starting staff has thrown 42.2 innings in six games, allowing eight runs and 45 baserunners for a 1.69 ERA and 1.054 WHIP. Overall as a group, they lead all National League rotations in innings pitched (249.2), and are climbing the rankings in ERA, as it has dropped to 4.15 (seventh-best) in this span.

2 – Conor Gillaspie Sets Up Trevor Brown

Diamondbacks’ starter Rubby De La Rosa cruised through the first two innings on Sunday, retiring the first six batters of the afternoon on a tidy 16 pitches. Conor Gillaspie, getting a rare start at third base in place of a resting Matt Duffy, made him work a little harder in the third inning.

To lead off the third, Gillaspie saw nine pitches, fouling off three to run the count full before striking out on a very nasty slider from De La Rosa. After the first extended at-bat of the day, De La Rosa got a little lazy on his first pitch to Trevor Brown, another guy starting in place of a resting regular, Buster Posey.

Catcher Welington Castillo set up a target on the outside corner to the right-handed hitting Brown, but De La Rosa’s pitch trickled over the middle of the plate. Brown crushed the offering into left field, and all Yasmany Tomas could do was watch as it landed in the bleachers, putting the Giants ahead 1-0 in the third inning.

That mistake was one of very few that De La Rosa committed on Sunday, and the only one the Giants could capitalize on. Arizona’s starter was fantastic, giving up just that one hit and run through 6.2 innings. Gillaspie’s long at-bat, making De La Rosa really work for the first time in the game, may have led to that momentary lapse in concentration.

3 – More Ninth Inning Drama

Ninth innings have been no picnic for the Giants lately, and Sunday was no different. Closer Santiago Casilla, who didn’t pitch in a save situation yesterday after working three straight games, came on in the ninth, but allowed a one-out walk followed by a single, putting the tying run on third base with just one out. Things got hairy when pinch-hitter Rickie Weeks, Jr. stepped up to the plate.

On Casilla’s 1-2 pitch, a fastball in on the hands, Weeks chopped a soft groundball to second baseman Joe Panik, who flipped to shortstop Brandon Crawford for the first out. Crawford relayed a throw to first baseman Brandon Belt, who made a tremendous pick on the ball in the dirt. First base umpire Gabe Morales made the initial safe call, saying Belt’s foot didn’t maintain contact with the bag, but after a couple of replays, it was clear that Morales’ call was incorrect.

Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy asked for the replay review, and a few more looks at the replay made it even more apparent that both ends of the play would be called outs. Umpire crew chief Jerry Layne and Morales listened in on the headsets, and eventually got the ruling from New York. Layne removed his headset, called the runner at second base safe, and the runner at first out. Wait, what?

After the initial wave of panic and disappointment, Morales brought the error to Layne’s attention and Layne corrected himself, calling both runners out and ending the ballgame right there. See? It’s not just Casilla that makes ninth innings stressful.

Next: Giants Morning Minute: Peavy Keeps Momentum Rolling

That’s it for this Monday edition of the Morning Minute. Next up, the Giants get a day off, well-earned after playing games on 17 consecutive days. After that, they match up with the San Diego Padres for their second series of the year, and first in San Diego. To open things, Madison Bumgarner and rookie Colin Rea will square off on Tuesday.

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