Cain likely to miss second spring start for Giants

March 3, 2011GIANTS PAGEGIANTS VIDEOMychael Urban
CSNBayArea.comSCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Giants right-hander Matt Cain, who was scratched from his scheduled Thursday start with elbow inflammation, likely will miss at least one more turn in the club's Cactus League rotation. Cain worked a career-high 223 13 innings last season, then went on an historic tear during the playoffs -- working more than 21 innings over three starts without surrendering an earned run.
He said he's never before experienced elbow trouble and is convinced the issue is minor and has nothing to do with his heavy workload last year.Echoing Giants manager Bruce Bochy's contention that Cain is being held out for precautionary reasons as much as anything, Cain stressed Thursday that there is no structural damage in the elbow. He was sent for an MRI exam Wednesday and the results came back clean.
The irritation, Cain said, first surfaced Sunday, when he gave up three hits over two scoreless innings in his 2011 debut. A National League scout who had a radar gun at the game said Cain's fastball, which typically sits between 91-94 mph, topped out at 91 Sunday and was more frequently clocked between 87-89.Non-roster invitee Ryan Vogelsong was slated to take Cain's place Thursday. Cain hasn't played catch since Sunday, so his next turn -- originally scheduled for Monday, is expected to be pushed back a day or two.