SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Matt Cain remains what Brian Sabean would call "a work in progress."
If progress can be defined by lowering one's ERA from 9.58 to 8.40, then Cain moved forward in Friday night's game against the Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium. But like most of Cain's outings, it was an "on the one hand, on the other hand" proposition that provided little insight into who he will be in 2017.
Fourteen hitters into the game he had allowed three runs on seven hits, including a double and triple. But Cain also struck out five in 4 2/3 innings, matching his total from his first four starts.