Matt Cain Injury: Right-hander done for the year, Peavy deal looking smart

Giants right-hander Matt Cain won't pitch again in 2014, and the team has to be thanking its lucky stars that Jake Peavy came over from the Red Sox in late July.

The news, reported by the San Jose Mercury News' Alex Pavlovic, signals the end of another tough season for Cain, who will finish with career-worsts in ERA (4.18) and wins (2) through 15 starts. It was the second year in a row in which Cain, a three-time All Star, has posted an ERA of four or higher.

Of course, with Cain out for the year, general manager Brian Sabean's move for Peavy looks a whole lot smarter. There was some question about what would happen with the Giants rotation when Cain returned, but it's now clear that Sabean anticipated this happening all along.

The Giants are now set with a rotation of Madison Bumgarner, Tim Hudson, Tim Lincecum, Ryan Vogelsong and Peavy, and they'll have to hope that's enough to carry them through the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs, though they'll face stiff competition from both the Dodgers and the handful of other teams contending for the two wild card sports.

They'll also have to hope that another Cain-esque injury doesn't happen given the lack of replacement options. Yusmeiro Petit is next in line, though he has struggled as a starter this year (6.32 ERA in six starts, spanning 31.1 innings), pitching almost exclusively as a long reliever out of the bullpen.

Pavlovic reports that Cain "should be fine by spring training," good news for Giants fans hoping for a rebound next season. Though he was excellent in the second half of 2013, posting a 2.36 ERA after the break, Cain hasn't gone a full season as his usual self since the Giants' 2012 World Series-winning campaign.

Maybe some time off will do Cain good. The Giants will need him in 2015.