Cain Struggles Early, Slumping Giants Swept By Mets
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS / AP) -- Matt Cain said he felt normal. He just didn't get normal results.
Former Giants prospect Zack Wheeler pitched seven sharp innings, Marlon Byrd homered again and the New York Mets completed their first sweep in San Francisco since 1994 with a 7-2 win Wednesday.
Cain (5-6) lasted less than an inning for the first time in his career, giving up three runs on two hits and three walks while getting just two outs. He is 0-3 with a 6.38 ERA in his last five starts.
"We needed a chance to win it and I wasn't giving them an opportunity right there," Cain said. "I was walking guys. They got a couple of hits they needed and that was it."
Cain's home ERA rose to 5.94, the second-highest among qualifying NL pitchers and more than double his 2.03 ERA in San Francisco last year.
"For the way we think we are as a group and the team that we are, we feel like this is really, really funky," Cain said. "To go out there and have an outing like that is really disappointing. It's kind of hard to swallow, but you have to get over it."
The Giants dropped to 40-50, their first time 10 games under .500 since finishing 72-90 in 2008, according to STATS. San Francisco was swept at home for the first time since last July 27-29 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"We're not doing a lot of things right," Cain said. "It seems like everything is going wrong. We're not pitching, we're not fielding and we're not getting hits. This is a pretty bad skid and we need to find a way out of it."
Wheeler used to have long talks with Sergio Romo when they were teammates in the Giants organization, and the young pitcher is good pals with Mike Kickham, who matched his career high with 5 1-3 innings -- the longest relief effort by a Giants pitcher since 2008.
"I was drafted by the Giants and obviously wanted to pitch here," Wheeler said. "I didn't know how I was going to feel when I got out there. Honestly, I was relaxed."
San Francisco dealt Wheeler to the Mets in July 2011 for outfielder Carlos Beltran. The trip to San Francisco brought back memories from his time with the Giants.
"Romo and me would talk all the time," Wheeler said. "He'd sit me down and talk me through things. It was fun to be able to watch him pitch the first night."
Brandon Crawford singled home a run in the Giants' eighth, and Tony Abreu hit a sacrifice fly in the ninth.
NOTES: Giants RHP Santiago Casilla could be activated Thursday. ... LHP Madison Bumgarner (9-5, 3.05) will start for the Giants on Thursday night in San Diego. He's 5-3 in 15 games against the Padres. ... The Giants finished their worst homestand (1-5) since June 25-30, 2010, when they also went 1-5.
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