Matt Cain gets the start for the San Francisco Giants as the open the weekend series against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers Friday night at 10:15 p.m. ET.
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Via ESPN:
Cain (5-4, 4.29 ERA) was slated to start Thursday at Cincinnati, but the game was postponed due to rain, moving him back a day.
He's 5-0 with a 1.93 ERA over his last 11 starts against Los Angeles, allowing just 57 hits and 12 walks in 74 2/3 innings dating back to Aug. 1, 2010. Nine of those outings were quality starts, and Cain held the Dodgers to one run or fewer six times.
The right-hander is coming off arguably his finest start of the year, though the slumping San Francisco offense -- which has scored 26 runs while losing 11 of 13 -- couldn't turn it into a victory. Cain did not get a decision as he gave up one run and three hits -- two in the first inning -- and walked one over eight frames of a 2-1 loss to Colorado on Saturday.
These teams split Cain's two starts versus the Dodgers earlier this season as he held them to one run in a combined 13 1/3 innings. But Los Angeles' offense has evolved into an entirely different beast.
The second time the Dodgers (40-44) saw Cain, it was their 30th game, through which they were averaging 3.5 runs. They've won 10 of their last 12 while scoring 5.2 per game.
While they're coming off a 9-5 loss at Colorado on Thursday, the team's sixth 11-plus hit game in nine contests was still encouraging -- as is Crawford's possible return.
Crawford, who was hitting .301 with 32 runs in 51 games before succumbing to a strained hamstring June 1, has completed his rehab assignment with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. He will be with the Dodgers on Friday, according to their official website, though they haven't confirmed that they will activate the four-time All-Star from the disabled list.
His return could create almost as many headaches for manager Don Mattingly as it seemingly will for opposing pitchers trying to navigate the order. Mattingly will have to juggle an outfield that includes Crawford, rookie sensation Yaisel Puig, Matt Kemp andAndre Ethier.
Puig went 1 for 5 on Thursday to extend his hitting streak to eight games and is still batting .430 with 19 RBIs since making his major league debut June 3.