18 Matt Cain, SP

Giants pitcher Matt Cain turned in a solid performance as he struck out seven but did not factor in the decision Tuesday night against the Nationals.

Cain ran into trouble early on as he allowed a run-scoring doubles to both Ryan Zimmerman and Ian Desmond in the opening frame. He bounced back with six scoreless innings before his night was over. The right-hander yielded two runs, four hits and walked two over seven innings of work in a 4-2 win in extras.

Cain has allowed two runs ore fewer in each of his last three starts at home. He is scheduled to make his next start Monday at Oakland. He allowed one run and three hits over seven innings of work in his previous meeting against the A's in 2012.

Yes, those nine home runs Matt Cain allowed in his first six starts were frustrating, but the Giants ace seemed to get back on track with dominant outings May 5 and May 10, allowing just one home run between the two.

So what happened in his latest start Thursday, when he allowed three home runs and six earned runs in 6 1/3 innings?

For starters, he was pitching at Coors Field -- and not the snow-covered Coors Field we've seen for much of the season, but the one that typically accompanies 81-degree temperatures (you know, suitable baseball weather).

After a couple of years of relatively fair play with the introduction of the humidor, Coors Field was back to being kryptonite for many of the pitchers who came through there last year. Now that the weather is back to normal, I have a feeling Cain won't be the only notable pitcher to suffer from its effects.

Giants pitcher Matt Cain was knocked around but escaped with his third win of the season Thursday night against the Padres.

Cain (3-2), who made his ninth start of the season, had a hard time keeping the ball in the park as he surrendered home runs to Todd Helton, Nick Arenado and Wilin Rosario. The right-hander was charged with six runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings of work. He struck out six and walked two in an 8-6 win.

Cain has won three consecutive decisions and has watched his ERA drop from 6.49 to 5.43 over that span. He is scheduled to make his next start Tuesday at home against the Nationals. He is 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA in his last two starts at AT&T Park.

Giants pitcher Matt Cain did not travel with the club for its two-game series in Toronto, manager Bruce Bochy said Wednesday. The right-hander remained home in San Francisco, where he threw a bullpen session on Sunday.

Bochy said he did not want any unexpected travel delays to hinder Cain before his start Thursday against the Rockies in Colorado.

"What didn't make sense is to bring him up here for two days," Bochy told MLB.com. "We told him to [stay behind]."

Cain is 2-0 with a 1.76 ERA through two starts in May.

Giants starting pitcher Matt Cain continued to pitch well as he enjoyed another solid performance en route to an 8-2 win over the Braves.

Cain (2-2), who made his eighth start of the season, served up a two-run home run to Brian McCann in the fifth for his only damage off the night. The right-hander was charged with two runs and three hits over eight innings of work. He struck out seven and walked two in 114 pitches, 68 strikes.

Cain has won his last two decisions. He has yielded three runs in his last 15 1/3 innings of work during that stretch. The 28-year-old is scheduled to start Thursday at Colorado. He is 2-1 with a 4.91 ERA in his last four starts -- including a complete game -- at Coors Field.