River Cats capitalize on Cain's gem

West Sacramento, CA - The Sacramento River Cats (38-51) looked in fine form Friday night as they took care of the Tacoma Rainiers (47-40) 7-4 thanks to a stellar start by San Francisco's Matt Cain. He may not have been pitching at AT&T Park, but Cain looked plenty comfortable in an orange jersey pitching in front of an electric Raley Field crowd. 

In his first rehab start for Sacramento, Giants' veteran Matt Cain was phenomenal. Aside from hitting Tacoma's leadoff man and former Giants teammate Nori Aoki, Cain only allowed three other base runners in his 5.2 innings pitched tonight, taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

Cain threw 73 pitches (49 for strikes) in the outing as he works his way back from a right hamstring injury that first sidelined him back on May 28. A two-out single in the sixth inning was the first hit allowed by the right-hander, who turned the ball over to the bullpen with two runners on. Both would score, giving Cain two earned runs on one hit and two walks with a pair of strikeouts overall. Cain entered the night with a rough 70-pitch limit, but that was the last thing on his mind.  

"That was a really good night," Cain told reporters after Friday night's win, "the crowd was good and we had some good electricity. I'm not even really thinking about the pitch count anymore, I feel good."

Hitting in the fifth slot tonight was Cain's battery mate, Andrew Susac. In his last start against Rainiers' right-hander Joe Wieland, Susac finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and the Roseville-native picked up right where he left off. Tonight, Susac went 2-for-4 against Wieland with a double, a home run, and three RBI. The home run was Susac's third on the year and the first for Sacramento in eight games, a season-high homerless drought. His presence both at the plate and behind it was comforting for Cain.

"There was definitely some familiarity throwing to Andrew tonight. We chatted earlier before the game and I relied on him a little bit because he's seen these guys before. He and the guys also came out hot, swinging the bats, and got me a lead."

The offense contributed up and down the lineup as eight of nine starters recorded a hit. The seven runs and 11 hits on the night were more than the River Cats had tallied in their previous two games combined.

The River Cats will go for their third-straight win tomorrow night as they send right-hander Chris Stratton (5-4, 5.79) to the mound. His opponent will be Tacoma's right-hander Zach Lee (0-2, 9.00) who will be making his fourth start with the team. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. (PT) and the game can be head live online at rivercats.com and on the air on ESPN 1320.

***

The Sacramento River Cats are the Triple-A affiliate of the 2014 World Champion San Francisco Giants. The team plays at Raley Field in West Sacramento, consistently voted one of the top ballparks in America. River Cats Season Tickets, Mini-Plans, and Flex Plans can be purchased for the 2016 season by calling the River Cats Ticket Hotline at (916) 371-HITS (4487). For more information about the River Cats, visit www.rivercats.com. For information on other events at Raley Field, visit www.raleyfield.com.