Davidoff: Cain outperformed Washington big-time

SAN FRANCISCO

The Giants now hold an impressive, unexpected two-game lead in this ultracool World Series, and you could break down Game 2 pretty much like this:

Matt Cain looked very comfortable with what the night asked him to do, and Ron Washington didn't.

Cain, the Giants' number two pitcher, tossed 72/3 scoreless innings to lead his club to a 9-0 shellacking of the Rangers last night at AT&T Park. But it turned from a characteristically close Giants game into a late blowout when Washington handled his bullpen horribly, leading to a shocking seven-run eighth for the home team.

"From the time I've been here, we've always played a lot of close games," Cain said. "That's the way this ballpark usually turns out games to be. So it's one of those things where you get used to pitching in tight ballgames, and trying to really understand which situations are really to bear down on."

Cain now has thrown 211/3 innings in three postseason starts without permitting an earned run. Whereas Giants ace Tim "The Freak" Lincecum carries his nickname because of his tiny frame, Cain - listed as 6-3 and 225 pounds - looks more the role of frontline starting pitcher, with bulk and legs that evoke a mid-career Roger Clemens.

He doesn't miss bats like Clemens did, but mixing in a healthy amount of changeups and sliders with his fastball, Cain largely avoided trouble, picking up four 1-2-3 innings, and also worked his way out of trouble. It didn't hurt, of course, when Ian Kinsler's leadoff blast in the fifth inning hit the top of the centerfield wall and came back into play, with Kinsler settling for a double and never leaving second base.

You can understand why Cain received a standing ovation when he batted in the bottom of the seventh. And why the crowd offered a considerably louder cheer of gratitude when Giants skipper Bruce Bochy lifted him with two outs in the eighth.

This Fall Classic turned from sublime to silly in the bottom of the eighth when the Giants turned a 2-0 game into a blowout, thanks to four straight walks from Texas relievers Derek Holland (three) and Mark Lowe (one). Someone probably should inform Washington that you can use your closer when you're close but losing. I guess Neftali Feliz will be well-rested for tomorrow's Game 3.

What struck any reasonable observer most was that Holland, who replaced Darren O'Day with two outs and Buster Posey on first base in the eighth inning, wasn't even close with his pitches. He threw a total of 11 straight balls, walking Nate Schierholtz and Cody Ross and going to 3-and-0 on Aubrey Huff, before finally unleashing a strike. Then came ball four to Huff, forcing home a run and opening the floodgates.

When asked why he didn't lift Holland sooner, Washington said, "Because I thought he would correct himself. I felt like he could finally get back in the groove." The notion of going to Feliz, who didn't pitch in Game 1 and will rest during today's travel day, didn't occur to Washington "at all," the manager said.

Bochy, on the other hand, has been on the roll of his life. Cain hit in the seventh, even with runners on second and third and two outs in a 2-0 game, and that didn't bite the manager. Cain departed for lefty reliever Javier Lopez, who retired the dangerous Josh Hamilton.

In the seventh, Bochy lifted leftfielder Pat Burrell for defense, and new corner outfielders Schierholtz (in rightfield) and Ross (who switched from right to left) made nice catches.

"There's a lot of baseball left," Bochy said, "but it's good to win the first two. There's no getting around that."

And there's no avoiding the fact that even as they head home, the Rangers seem lost.