Cain beats Dodgers for 1st time - Giants sweep

(08-01) 22:02 PDT -- July turned to August, and Matt Cain turned into a Dodger beater. Finally. For the first time in 15 career starts against the boys in blue, Cain knows what it's like to be a winner.

The Giants, who welcomed Javier Lopez to the bullpen while welcoming back Brian Wilson, beat the Dodgers 2-0 on Sunday night in front of a vigorous, sold-out crowd and a national television audience, sweeping their rivals at home for the first time since 2004.

"It was pretty large tonight," Wilson said. "ESPN game. Packed house. We win the first two games of a three-game set against the Dodgers. Cain's going in his 15th start against them. Kind of an epic story, if you ask me."

Epic is Edgar Renteria's middle name. Or Epico. Carrying a reputation as a big-game hitter for much of his 15-year career - but not so much in 2010 - Renteria got the biggest hit in perhaps the season's biggest game. His response to an intentional walk of Aaron Rowand in the sixth inning was a two-run triple that decided it.

"You don't want to wake up the baby," said Renteria, who had gone 0-for-10 with four strikeouts off Clayton Kershaw before taking advantage of the left-hander's dare.

Center fielder Matt Kemp said he would have caught the ball if he hadn't been distracted by the sun. Nevertheless, it was all Cain and Co. needed. Cain pitched 7 2/3 innings - furthest he ever got against the Dodgers - and the left-handed Lopez, acquired from the Pirates on Saturday, retired Scott Podsednik on a comebacker to end the eighth.

Wilson, after sitting and watching other relievers finish the Giants' 6-5 and 2-1 victories the previous two days, earned his 31st save, tops in the majors. His back was fine and so was his stuff. He struck out Dodger newcomer Ryan Theriot on a cut fastball and (after walking Rafael Furcal) did the same to James Loney.

Wilson retired Matt Kemp on a flyball to save Cain's first win over Los Angeles, leaving him at 1-8.

"He just had that look," manager Bruce Bochy said of Cain. "Great concentration every pitch. I'm sure it was wearing on him. He's been throwing pretty good games. In his mind, it was time to put this behind him."

True, Matt?

"Obviously, it's been a problem beating those guys," he said. "I definitely wanted to go out there and win. We needed to do it more as a group, and everyone stepped up huge."

Including Lopez, who did exactly what he was acquired to do: retire a lefty. A onetime Boston pitcher, Lopez experienced the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry firsthand. He said Giants-Dodgers has a different vibe.

"That was a different feeling than this," Lopez said of his time in the East. "There, it seemed like you'd hear the fans of whoever's on top. But here, you heard that 'Beat L.A.' chant the whole game."

In the first half, the Giants were 9-20 against National League West teams. Since the break, they're 5-1 against the Dodgers and 4-0 against the Diamondbacks. Suddenly, they're 18-21 inside their division with two games in Colorado coming up.

E-mail John Shea at jshea@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle