Cain dominates Rangers in World Series game two
Before the World Series started all the talk was about how dominant Cliff Lee has been on the mound. Maybe the focus should have been on someone else.
Matt Cain once again put in the type of performance that, had Cliff Lee put in, people would have been calling him the best pitcher in baseball. The right-hander delivered 7 2/3 of shutout ball, struck out four and helped the San Francisco Giants take a commanding 2-0 series lead as they defeated the Texas Rangers 9-0 on Thursday night.
In three play-off games this season Cain has yet to give up an earned run in 31 1/3 innings, becoming Mr Reliable for his team.
"We've put ourselves in a good situation, we've just got to take that confidence and some of the good approaches that we've had into these last two games and take them down to Texas with us,” Cain said.
Though the scoreline might have been 9-0, in the end it wasn’t the slugfest the two teams put on the night before. San Francisco’s first run came in the fifth inning when Edgar Renteria hit a solo home run to get the ball rolling for the home side.
Juan Uribe – who hit a huge three-run home run in the first game – extended the Giants’ lead in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single. Then the Giants exploded, putting the game beyond the Rangers with a seven run eighth inning.
Aubrey Huff drew a bases-loaded walk to score rookie Buster Posey, Uribe also drew a bases-loaded walk, Renteria singled to left to score Cody Ross and Huff, Aaron Rowand hit a two-run triple and Andres Torres finished off the scoring with a double to bring Rowand home.
Despite taking a 2-0 lead Huff isn’t getting carried away just yet.
"We're going to their place. They're going to be fired up. Their fans have been waiting a long time for this, too. They're going to be loud. So we have to go in there, take the first one and worry about the next one. All they have to do is win the next one and they're right back in it,” Huff said.
Of the 51 previous teams to have taken a 2-0 lead in the World Series, 41 have gone on to win the crown. The series now shifts to Texas on Saturday where Jonathan Sanchez will take on the Rangers’ Colby Lewis.
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