San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain exited his start against the Colorado Rockies in the second inning after suffering a hamstring injury Friday.
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Cain's Tough Start Gets Worse
Friday, May 27
John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reported a right hamstring strain forced Cain out of the game.
Cain was once a pillar of consistency in the Giants rotation. Between 2006 and 2013, he made an average of 32 starts and pitched 209 innings per season. But he made 26 starts in 2014 and 2015 combined.
In August 2014, Cain had bone chips removed from his right elbow. 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. He wasn't able to make his 2015 debut until 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 2014 and 2015 campaigns were steadily worse.
Through nine starts in 2016, he was 1-5 with a 5.37 ERA.
After Cain finished sixth in the National League Cy Young Award voting in 2012, it looked as though he could become the ace of the staff. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened.
Should Cain miss his next start, manager Bruce Bochy might insert Chris Heston back into the rotation. Heston is penciled in for a bullpen role, but he made 31 starts last year, going 12-11 with a 3.95 ERA.
Clayton Blackburn could be another option after putting together a strong season in Triple-A in 2015.
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