(Sports Network) – Matt Cain silenced the Rangers for 7 2/3 innings and Edgar Renteria went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI, as the San Francisco Giants took control of the World Series by shutting out Texas, 9-0, in Game 2 at AT&T Park.
The Giants’ formula for success this postseason — terrific starting pitching and offense from an unlikely source — has them leading the best-of-seven set two games to none, halfway to their first World Series title since 1954, four years before they moved to San Francisco.
Cain (1-0), who did not allow an earned run over 13 2/3 frames in the NLDS and NLCS, continued to baffle hitters by scattering four hits and two walks while striking out two in another outstanding performance for the 26-year-old righty.
Juan Uribe drove in a pair for San Francisco, which broke the game open with a seven-run eighth en route to its 13th straight home win against the Rangers.
C.J. Wilson (0-1) was on the opposite end of the decision, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks in six-plus innings for Texas, which had won five of its six road playoff games coming into its first Fall Classic.
While the Rangers went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, the Giants had four hits in their nine chances.
The series now shifts to Arlington for Game 3 on Saturday, when Colby Lewis will try to pitch Texas back into it opposite left-hander Jonathan Sanchez.
Game 1 on Wednesday was supposed to be a pitching duel with former Cy Young winners Tim Lincecum and Cliff Lee taking the mound for their respective clubs. Neither starter made it through the sixth, however, and the Giants outslugged the Rangers, 11-7, to hand Lee his first postseason loss and take the early series lead.
Cain and Wilson picked up their teammates on Thursday by keeping it scoreless until Wilson left one up in the zone in the home fifth. With one out and none on in the frame, Renteria turned on the 0-1 fastball and sent it deep over the left-field wall, breaking the tie.
The round-tripper, Renteria’s first since September 4, came after Ian Kinsler doubled high off the center-field wall to open the top half, as the ball was less than a foot from going out of the park.
David Murphy, starting in place of Vladimir Guerrero, lined out sharply to short, Matt Treanor bounced one to Renteria, and, after an intentional walk to Mitch Moreland, Wilson grounded out to first to strand Kinsler on second.
Texas had another rally going in the sixth after Michael Young and Josh Hamilton each recorded one-out singles. A wild pitch moved both runners up a base, but Cain bore down and got Nelson Cruz to foul out to first, then retired Kinsler on a weak flyout to right, keeping it 1-0.
Nate Schierholtz entered as a defensive replacement in the seventh and immediately made an impact in right field, tracking down a Treanor gapper and hauling it in with the heel of his glove.
Cody Ross, the NLCS MVP, worked a 10-pitch walk to open the bottom half, and Wilson was taken out in part due to a blister on his throwing hand.
Darren Oliver relieved Wilson, and Aubrey Huff’s soft groundout down the first base line allowed Ross to advance to second. Uribe, who hit a three-run homer in Game 1, followed with a humpback liner off the end of his bat that fell between Kinsler and Cruz, scoring Ross without a play at the plate.
Elvis Andrus walked with one away in the eighth and stole second thanks to Renteria dropping Buster Posey’s throw. On his 102nd pitch of the night, Cain got a flyout to right off the bat of Young, the final batter he faced.
Hamilton was unable to get Andrus home from second, with left-handed reliever Javier Lopez inducing a flyout to center from the ALCS MVP.
Darren O’Day struck out the first two Giants in their turn and was pulled after a Posey single. Derek Holland came in and failed to find the strike zone, walking Schierholtz and Ross on eight total pitches before forcing in a run when his 3-1 pitch to Huff was called high, making it 3-0.
Mark Lowe was called in to replace the ineffective Holland and promptly walked Uribe to force in another run. Renteria’s base hit through the left side of the infield brought in a pair to end Lowe’s short appearance, and Aaron Rowand greeted Michael Kirkman with a pinch-hit triple to right-center, plating two more.
Andres Torres got in on the action with a run-scoring double, and Guillermo Mota, in his first appearance this postseason, worked around a two-out walk in the ninth to seal the convincing win.
Cain hurled a 10-pitch spotless first, and Kinsler made a diving stop on a ball hit to his left by Freddy Sanchez, helping Wilson keep the Giants quiet in the bottom half.
Kinsler hit a deep flyout to the warning track in right during another perfect inning from Cain in the second, which also lasted a mere 10 pitches.
Ross doubled to left with one out in the Giants’ half for the game’s first hit. Ross moved to third on a groundout to second by Huff and was stranded 90 feet away when Uribe flied out to center.
Texas got its first baserunner on Moreland’s one-out hit to right in the third. Wilson put down a successful sacrifice bunt, but Cain got Andrus to pop up a payoff pitch to short center to keep it scoreless.
Cain reached base with one out in the third via a seeing-eye, broken-bat single up the middle, though a flyout from Torres and a groundout from Sanchez kept him at first.
The Giants failed to capitalize on Pat Burrell’s one-out walk in the fourth. Huff hit one off the barrel to right, but Cruz was there to snare the liner and end the inning.
Game Notes
Of the 51 instances when a team has jumped out to a two games to none lead in the World Series, 40 have gone on to win the championship…Andrus and Cruz combined to go 0-for-7, ending their 12-game postseason hitting streaks…Murphy went 0-for-3 with a walk in place of Guerrero, who recorded two of Texas’ four errors in Game 1…The Rangers homered in their first 11 postseason games this year but have yet to do so this series…Sanchez, who had four hits in Game 1, went 0-for-5 and was the only Giants starter not to reach base…Lopez has allowed one hit, one run and one walk in 5 2/3 innings this postseason.