Word of the Day: Cained

Cained noun: A derisive term to describe a pitcher who pitches well enough to win a game, but his team doesn't give him enough run support to pick up the victory.

Usage Example: Cliff Lee was Cained last night pitching eight innings giving up five hits, one run, only to pick up the no-decision.

Word History: The term Cained originated from McCovey Chronicles. San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain knows the school of hard luck all too well. Cain would be just as well known as Tim Lincecum by casual baseball fans, but is not because he's been Cained relentlessly through the years.

2008 was a particular rough year for Matt Cain. Cain finished the year with a 8-14 record but had stats good enough to easily have a record of 20-5. Look at his 2008 stats. Cain only gave up 95 earned runs, 19 home runs, 91 walks, with an ERA of 3.76, WHIP 1.36, and a WAR of 3.7. Because of a lack of run support though, Cain's record is not what it should have been. I've gone on tirades before about how wins are irrelevant in baseball now and Matt Cain is proof to that theory.

My all-time favorite Cained moment happen last month. In a game against Oakland, Cain gave up one unearned run and still lost. Unbelievable isn't it? As we like to say about Cain over at McCovey Chronicles, "Cain is a winner disguised as a loser."