Game Preview: San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves (Game 3)
By Editorial Staff
Saturday, August 7 – 7:10 (SportSouth)
San Francisco Giants (63-47) vs. Atlanta Braves (62-47)
Matt Cain
(2.98 ERA, 4.50 xFIP, 2.98 BB/9, 6.74 K/9, 7.9 SwStr%)
(Career vs. ATL: 4 GS, 2-1, 3.75 ERA, 13 BB, 18 K)
vs.
Tim Hudson
(2.36 ERA, 4.20 xFIP, 3.15 BB/9, 4.66 K/9, 6.6 SwStr%, 64.5 GB%)
(Career vs. SF: 12 GS, 4-4, 3.90 ERA, 24 BB, 52 K)
Braves vs. Cain:
| PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nate McLouth | 15 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | .214 | .200 | .357 | .557 |
| Brian McCann | 11 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | .333 | .455 | .556 | 1.010 |
| Chipper Jones | 9 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| Troy Glaus | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Alex Gonzalez | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .000 | .125 | .000 | .125 |
| Rick Ankiel | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .167 | .286 | .333 | .619 |
| Gregor Blanco | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .250 | .571 | .250 | .821 |
| Omar Infante | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .167 | .167 | .167 | .333 |
| Jair Jurrjens | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Derek Lowe | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Melky Cabrera | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .333 | .333 | .667 |
| David Ross | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | .333 | .000 | .333 |
| Total | 85 | 75 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8 | 20 | .173 | .250 | .240 | .490 |
Giants vs. Hudson:
| PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pat Burrell | 33 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | .194 | .242 | .290 | .533 |
| Aubrey Huff | 22 | 20 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | .350 | .364 | .400 | .764 |
| Aaron Rowand | 21 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .444 | .524 | .500 | 1.024 |
| Freddy Sanchez | 19 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .167 | .211 | .222 | .433 |
| Edgar Renteria | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .200 | .300 | .500 |
| Pablo Sandoval | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Juan Uribe | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Jonathan Sanchez | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Nate Schierholtz | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Total | 112 | 104 | 26 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 13 | .250 | .295 | .317 | .612 |
What to Look For:
Another close game featuring great pitching. Both Cain and Hudson have had lucky seasons but with the way these two offenses are going, it will likely come down to another big hit or two. Hudson wasn’t as sharp in his last start but still allowed just one run in six innings to the Mets. He faced the Giants in April and allowed two runs on three hits in seven innings. Obviously the Braves will rely on another solid outing from him. Cain missed the Braves in April but he has been fairly effective against them in four starts, giving up quite a few hits but only ten runs in 24 innings. He has been hot on the mound lately and the Braves have another tough one in store.
My Take on the Opposition:
Cain is in the same boat as Zito in that his shiny ERA is covering how he is really pitching. Cain has never pitched to his ERA but his .255 BABIP this season is by far his lowest. His 4.50 xFIP is right in line with his average. He is walking the lowest amount of his career at 2.98 BB/9 but he’s also striking out the fewest at 6.74 K/9. In turn, his whiff rate is the lowest of his career. As a result, Cain’s WAR of 2.6 is the lowest of his career. It’s hard to believe how people continue to say how unlucky he is. Cain has pitched a shutout in two of his past three starts, including 7.2 shutout innings on four hits against the Dodgers last time out. He has allowed ten runs in 24 career innings against the Braves.