Cain injured himself as most pitchers do ... making a sandwich.
The San Francisco Giants announced they will place righty Matt Cain on the 15-day disabled list and recall 25-year-old righty Jake Dunning from Triple-A Fresno, as reported by CSN Bay Area's Amy Gutierrez. The team originally planned to move Cain's start back to Monday, after he cut his index finger making a sandwich just minutes before he was scheduled to start on Tuesday.
Attempting to bounce back from a disappointing 2013 season, Cain was sporting a 2.88 ERA before getting shelled by the Rockies on April 23. He gave up seven earned runs in six innings and his ERA jumped to 4.35 on the season. Park- and league-adjusted ERA predictors -- most notably xFIP -- suggest that Cain is pitching as he always has. However, that was also the case last year, and Cain probably wasn't walking around the clubhouse citing his xFIP after losses.
The Giants are 20-11 after sweeping the Braves during a three-game set in Atlanta. Only Milwaukee has won more games. Losing Cain is far from a wash for the team, but San Francisco is in a good position thanks to hot starts from free agent additions Michael Morse and Tim Hudson.
Dunning threw 25⅓ innings for the Giants last season, posting a 2.84 ERA in 29 relief appearances. In Fresno, the former 33rd-round pick has pitched 14⅓ innings with a 2.51 ERA.