Cain Gets Imperfect Win For Giants Over Angels
ANAHEIM (CBS / AP) -- Matt Cain followed up his perfect game by persevering through five difficult innings for another victory, and Brandon Crawford had an early two-run double among the San Francisco Giants' 13 hits in a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
Ryan Theriot had three hits and drove in two runs for the Giants, who rewarded Cain (9-2) for his resilience in his first start since throwing the 22nd perfect game in major league history against Houston last Wednesday.
Cain gave up a hit on his third pitch at Angel Stadium to Mike Trout, eventually allowing three runs on six hits and a season-high four walks. After recording a Top Ten list for David Letterman's "The Late Show" on the field before the game, he had just four strikeouts after recording 14 in his perfect game.
Melky Cabrera had three more hits to push his major league-leading total to 98, and Angel Pagan had a run-scoring single in the Giants' first game at Angel Stadium since they lost the final two games of the 2002 World Series in heart-wrenching fashion.
Four Giants relievers combined on four hitless innings, with Santiago Casilla finishing up for his 19th save in 20 chances. Counting Cain's fifth inning, the Angels' final 15 hitters failed to reach base.
Jerome Williams (6-5) gave up seven hits and four runs while failing to get out of the fourth inning in his third straight loss for the Angels—and his second straight defeat at Angel Stadium after going 8-0 in his first eight home starts with Los Angeles.
At some point after Williams left the game, the former Giants first-round pick was taken to a hospital as a precaution after complaining of shortness of breath.
Mark Trumbo hit his 16th homer and Trout stole three bases to take over the AL lead for the Angels, who had won seven of nine interleague games over the previous two weeks. Los Angeles moved a season-high five games over .500 with back-to-back shutout victories over Arizona on the weekend, but the Giants ended the Angels' streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings on Crawford's double in the second.
Williams improbably revitalized his career with Los Angeles late last season, but has yielded 16 runs in his last three starts after a strong start to the year.
Williams didn't help his case to stay in the Angels' rotation after Wednesday's return of ace Jered Weaver, who has been out since May 28 with lower-back pain. Rookie Garrett Richards has been outstanding in three starts in Weaver's place, culminating in eight innings of four-hit ball in a shutout victory over Arizona on Sunday.
Cain had retired 32 straight batters and hadn't allowed a run in 21 innings when he took the mound in Anaheim, but his quest for back-to-back perfection lasted only three pitches before Trout put a clean single into left.
The Angels' speedy rookie stole second and scored on fly balls from Torii Hunter and Albert Pujols, who has 33 RBIs in his last 40 games after a slow start to his first season with the Angels. Cain hit Pujols on the left hand with a 92-mph fastball in the third inning, but the three-time NL MVP stayed in the game.
The Giants went ahead 4-2 in the fourth inning on Theriot's RBI single, chasing Williams. The Angels pulled back within a run on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Bobby Wilson, who returned from the disabled list after a concussion.
Theriot increased the Giants' lead in the sixth with another single that scored Joaquin Arias.
NOTES: Lakers G Kobe Bryant watched the game from a suite. The 14-time NBA All-Star has lived in Orange County for several years. ... Before the game, Cain received a samurai sword from Mizuno, his equipment sponsor. ... Trout leads the AL in steals despite playing just 46 games. He's the first Angels rookie to steal three bases in a game since Devon White in 1987. ... The Angels made several roster moves before the game, recalling INF Andrew Romine and designating RHP David Pauley for assignment. They'll have to make another when Weaver returns from the disabled list to face the Giants on Wednesday.
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