Injury-riddled Giants play rubber match with D-backs

(SportsNetwork.com) - The San Francisco Giants will try to overcome yet another blow to their starting rotation on Wednesday night when they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the rubber match of a three-game series.

The Giants have already lost two of their starting pitchers to injury at the outset of the season. Jake Peavy was unable to make the start in Tuesday night's contest versus the Diamondbacks and Matt Cain will be unable to go tonight after landing on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained flexor tendon in his right arm.

"It's definitely frustrating, but it kind of goes with the territory," Cain, who needed season-ending elbow surgery to remove bone chips and spurs last August, told the Giants' website. "Sometimes there are going to be bumps in the rehab process, and this is one of them."

Stepping in for Cain will be right-hander Chris Heston, who makes his fourth career major league appearance two days shy of his 27th birthday. He was in line to make a start at Triple-A on Thursday.

Heston made three appearances for the Giants last September, including one start, and posted a 5.06 earned run average after allowing three runs over 5 1/3 total innings of work.

Ryan Vogelsong stepped in for Peavy last night, but was tagged for seven runs on six hits and four walks over 4 2/3 innings of work.

Buster Posey went 3-for-3 with a homer and two RBI, and Brandon Crawford homered in the setback, but first baseman Brandon Belt was forced to exit in the fourth inning with a strained groin suffered while tracking down a foul ball. His status is unknown for this game as he adds yet another injury concern for the Giants.

Jake Lamb homered and drove in four runs to pace the Diamondbacks and give rookie manager Chip Hale his first MLB win. Lamb is the first rookie to drive in seven runs over his first two games since Johnny Groth for the Detroit Tigers in 1949.

David Peralta hit a three-run homer to back 5 1/3 innings from Rubby De La Rosa, who allowed six runs on eight hits with five strikeouts.

The Diamondbacks will debut right-hander Jeremy Hellickson tonight hoping he can recapture some of his early-career success.

Hellickson won the 2011 American League Rookie of the Year award as part of his four-plus season stint with the Tampa Bay Rays, but pitched to a 5.17 ERA in 2013 and was limited to only 13 starts last year due to elbow surgery. He did not make his season debut until July 8 and went 1-5 with a 4.52 ERA.

Hellickson was traded to Arizona on Nov. 14 for a pair of minor leaguers and will face the Giants for the first time in his career on what is his 28th birthday.

San Francisco has won 10 of the last 13 matchups with Arizona.