With the return of one member to a starting rotation always comes the departure of another. Ace Madison Bumgarner is set to start this weekend after a nearly three-month absence, and Bruce Bochy told Murph & Mac on KNBR Wednesday morning that Matt Cain will be the one to step out of the rotation with Mad Bum’s return.
After a hot start to the season that saw Cain post a 2.30 ERA in April, the veteran has struggled in recent weeks and has a 5.56 season ERA with a 3-8 record. The rest of the Giants’ rotation hasn’t exactly been pitching their best either, but Bochy said Cain is the best candidate to fill the versatile role of being a sixth starter and an extra bullpen arm.
“We’re probably going to use Matt Cain as a swingman, and use him in the bullpen,” Bochy said. “I’ve talked to Matty about his situation. We talked about a six-man rotation, I don’t think that’s going to work, that leaves us a man short in the bullpen. So, with our five guys that we have now, somebody had to go, and we just feel like Matty can be a swing guy if we have to give Blach a couple starts off and give him a break, then Matt can go in there. Or Moore, or any of these guys. You know, Matty’s such a great team player he’s all in on anything that can help this club get back on track.”
Bochy went on to praise Cain’s competitiveness, and the skipper pointed out that Cain understands he could jump right back into the rotation if the situation calls for it. Meanwhile, Bochy said he hopes Bumgarner can be a shot in the arm for the team with the second-worst record in the majors.
“He’s set to go, he did throw well,” Bochy said of Bumgarner’s last rehab start. “He threw, what, six innings down there, around 90 pitches, so he’s ready to go. Just getting him back in the rotation sometimes is like your offense, when you get a really hot hitter up there and he gets hot, guys follow and hopefully that’s gonna be the case with Madison, just having his presence around and his talent.”
The full interview with Bochy is available below. To listen to his comments on Matt Cain’s move to the bullpen, jump to the 8:00 mark.