Anahiem@ San Francisco

[love_that_reefer]

When the Giants last faced the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a real game -- not exhibition -- rookie pitcher Matt Cain was an 18-year-old graduate from Houston High in Germantown, Tenn., and had just finished the 2002 season in the Arizona Rookie League.

Watching the World Series between the Angels and Giants, he could only wish to someday be there himself. Now he is 21, squaring off against the Angels at AT&T Park on Monday night in Interleague Play, riding a career-best four-game winning streak.

Cain had a wobbly start last time out, giving up four runs on five hits over five innings in Arizona, but the Giants helped his cause by busting out for 11 runs.

Still, he sports a 3.45 ERA and held opposing hitters to a .196 average over that stretch.

With the Angels coming into town, manager Felipe Alou hopes the Giants can get above the .500 mark at AT&T Park, as they have a 17-17 mark there this year.

"We'll try to have a good homestand," said Alou, noting the Giants were only two games back of the NL West-leading Dodgers entering Sunday's action and that positions within the division could switch quickly.

Only four Giants remain from that World Series clash vs. the Angels -- Barry Bonds, Pedro Feliz, Jason Schmidt and Tim Worrell.

Pitching matchup
SF: RHP Matt Cain (5-5, 5.35 ERA)
Cain ranks fourth among NL rookie hurlers with 52 strikeouts and tied for second in victories. He started the season 1-5 but corrected mechanical problems and has thrown well ever since.

ANA: RHP Kelvim Escobar (5-7, 3.80 ERA)
Escobar is this season's hard-luck pitcher. He has not won in his last six starts but much of the blame can lie elsewhere. Of the 47 runs he's allowed this season, 14 have been unearned and errors have been elemental to his undoing in his last three starts. Escobar has never pitched at AT&T Park.

Player to watch
Outfielder Randy Winn, a long-time American Leaguer, is batting .286 lifetime vs. Escobar, with a homer and two doubles.

Cain has to get deeper in the ball game and the offense has to wake up.

[Giants666]

Monday, June 19 AT&T Park | 7:15 PM PT

Kelvim Escobar, RHP (5-7, 3.62)VS.Matt Cain, RHP (5-5, 5.35)
Scouting Report:
Escobar is this season's hard-luck pitcher. He has not won in his last six starts but much of the blame can lie elsewhere. Of the 47 runs he's allowed this season, 14 have been unearned and errors have been elemental to his undoing in his last three starts. Escobar has never pitched at AT&T Park.
The 21-year-old rookie had only a so-so outing in his last start vs. Arizona, giving up four runs over five innings, but the Giants' routed the D-Backs, 11-4. Still, Cain has now won four straight games after a brief hiatus, which allowed him to relax on the mound and be more focused.


Tuesday, June 20 AT&T Park | 7:15 PM PT

John Lackey, RHP (4-4, 3.46)VS. Matt Morris, RHP (4-7, 4.81)
Scouting Report:
Lackey rebounded from the worst start of his season about as well as the Angels could have hoped. Against the Royals on Thursday he allowed only an unearned run, four hits, one walk and struck out eight, which tied a season high. The right-hander received a no-decision when his bullpen couldn't hold the lead for him, and will look for better against the Giants, a team he has yet to face in his career.
Morris broke a four-game winless streak by shutting down Arizona, 8-2, on a complete-game seven-hitter. He was helped by a 15-hit Giants attack, but he also blanked the D-Backs over the first six frames. He had weak run support in recent outings.

Wednesday, June 21 AT&T Park | 12:35 PM PT

Jeff Weaver, RHP (3-9, 6.02)VS. Noah Lowry, LHP (2-5, 4.20
Scouting Report:
Despite having the second-most loses in the American League, Weaver pitched well enough in recent weeks to hold off his younger brother, Jered, for the final spot in the Angels rotation. Counting his no-decision on Friday, Weaver has tossed a quality start in four of his last five outings. He allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings against the Padres, but was unable to get the victory when the bullpen failed him.
Lowry called his last outing the worst of the season, as he issued eight hits and five runs over only three innings, his shortest game since being pulled with an injury in his 2006 debut after 1 1/3 frames. Lowry is 1-5 over his last six games and has been trying to recover his rhythm and command.

[riverdunesrat]

When the Giants last faced the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in a real game

The Giants have never faced the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim....they were still the Anaheim Angels then......and wish they still were......

[DravenX]

The last game I remember was the World Series right?

[love_that_reefer]

Game 7 was the last game between these two teams despite what River says.

[love_that_reefer]

Cain has a no-no going through 7 IP. He has thrown 115 thus far. Giants lead 2-1. Let's get some runs!!!!!!!!!!!!

[love_that_reefer]

Cain goes 7 2/3 innings until Chone Figgins singles to center. 2-1 with Benitez in to close it.

[love_that_reefer]

Benitez almost had a 1-2-3 inning but got the job done as the Giants win 2-1 behind Cain's dominant performance. Bonds went 1-3 with a RBI. Offense is still cold and teams are taking adbantage of our catching situation. Three stolen bases tonight and three more on Sunday shows a huge weakness right now. We need Matheny back behind that plate.

[Giants666]

Cain flirts with history
Rookie right-hander no-hits Angels for 7 2/3 innings

SAN FRANCISCO -- Matt Cain came within four outs of recording the first Giants no-hitter in 30 years as San Francisco edged the Angels, 2-1, on Monday night.
Cain (6-5) struck out a career-high 10 batters and didn¹t allow a hit until Chone Figgins singled cleanly up the middle with two outs in the eighth.

Armando Benitez worked the ninth for his fifth save, allowing a two-out single.

Cain lost the shutout long before he lost the no-hitter. Figgins led off the game with a walk, stole second and kept on going all the way home when catcher Eliezer Alfonzo's throw skipped into left field.

Almost immediately, the Giants gave Cain a lead to work with when Barry Bonds doubled to left with runners on the corners and Steve Finley brought the second run home against Angels starter Kelvim Escobar (5-8) with a groundout to second.

[riverdunesrat]

Game 7 was the last game between these two teams despite what River says.

I know its just a technicality........a stoopid name change but.......how many of these guys were actually in that 2002 WS match up? If anyone wants to chime in go ahead cuz I'm too lazy to look it up.......

[Giants666]

There's more Angels players than Giants players, from that WS matchup........

[Giants666]

Giants get another shot at Lackey
Los Angeles (31-39) at San Francisco (35-35), 7:15 p.m. PT

The Giants will be trying to get back above .500 on Tuesday, doing so against a man who broke San Francisco's heart the last time he pitched in a meaningful game against the team.
The Angels will have John Lackey on the mound, the same John Lackey who won Game 7 of the 2002 World Series.

That matchup between the Giants and Angels didn¹t work out so well for the Northern Californians, but otherwise, San Francisco owns the Angels.

The Giants are 11-5 overall against them, including a three-game sweep the last time the teams met in the regular season at AT&T Park, back in 2001.

Pitching matchup
LAA: RHP John Lackey (4-4, 3.46 ERA)
Lackey matched his season high with eight strikeouts Thursday against the Royals. He left that game after seven innings, having given up only an unearned run, but the Angels bullpen couldn't hold the lead.

SF: RHP Matt Morris (4-7, 4.81 ERA)
Morris is coming off his first complete game as a Giant, in which he snapped a four-start winless streak by limiting Arizona to two runs on seven hits and a pair of walks.

Player to watch
Mark Sweeney went 1-for-3 with a run scored Monday night and will be trying to extend his modest hit streak to five games.

[GiantsFanatic]

that was the longest no hitter so far this year

mad props to cain, he pitched a gem!

[love_that_reefer]

Giants win again thanks to good pitching. Morris went 6 innings giving up only 1 earned run. Accardo looked sharp but Kline and Worrell didn't. Morris had two RBI and Durham actually stole a base. What other crazy thing happened? Benitez had a perfect inning!

[Giants666]

What other crazy thing happened? Benitez had a perfect inning!

It's about ****ing time........He had good slider and split going......lets just see if he can keep it going now.........doubt it though.