San Francisco Giants

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.

Giants reliever Santiago Casilla, who was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list with a knee injury, is expected to see a specialist Wednesday to get a second opinion on his knee, according to the Mercury News.

Casilla wore a brace to help alleviate a cyst on his right knee since early. He is 3-2 with a 1.89 ERA and one save in 21 appearances.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has continued to sit against occasional lefties, holding back his point total in Head-to-Head leagues, but if he keeps hitting like he has over his last 26 games, producing a .321 (25 for 78) batting average, six home runs, 10 walks and a 1.020 OPS, he'll entrench himself as an everyday player once and for all.

And Fantasy stardom may follow.

Is it really so far-fetched? We've been waiting for this guy to step up his power production for a couple of years now. In that 26-game stretch, he has nearly as many home runs as he hit in 145 games last year. And that's after ranking among the league leaders in home runs this spring. If that's not stepping it up, I don't know what is.

Not that I think Belt is going to hit 30 home runs or compete for NL MVP. But if you're still messing around with Todd Frazier or Paul Konerko at DH, it's time to upgrade.

The Giants recalled reliever Sandy Rosario from Triple-A Fresno Tuesday after placing reliever Santiago Casilla (knee) on the disabled list. Rosario picked up a win in his only appearance for San Francisco April 30.

Giants first baseman Brett Pill was recalled from Triple-A Fresno Tuesday after the Giants placed a pair of pitchers -- Ryan Vogelsong (hand), Santiago Casilla (knee) -- on the disabled list. Pill, who was optioned Saturday, is batting .333 (2 for 6) with one RBI in three games for San Francisco.