Giants end July with victory over Nationals, Cain’s 100th

Twenty-one hours remained before Monday's nonwaiver trade deadline when Santiago Casilla provided the Giants three reasons why they should not trade for a closer to replace him.

Pinch-hitter Daniel Murphy, a National League Most Valuable Player front runner, whiffed on all three, making the final out in Sunday's 3-1 victory against the Nationals - Matt Cain's 100th win.

In finishing a game that gave the Giants consecutive wins for the first time since the All-Star break, Casilla seemed determined to express himself once more, and forcefully, on the field.

An insane sellers' market for relievers is working in Casilla's favor.

Before the Yankees traded Andrew Miller to the Indians in the morning, they asked the Giants for a player on the 25-man roster whom they consider untouchable.

The Giants have focused on the bullpen, but Evans said in the final hours before the deadline he has to look at position players and starting pitchers, too, because that might be an easier path to bolstering the club.

[...] in the final game before the deadline, Cain and the bullpen threw a three-hitter to get the Giants a split in the four-game series and a 3-4 homestand.

Cain was removed after five no-hit innings that required 93 pitches.

Cain did not expect to feel much emotion becoming the sixth San Francisco pitcher to reach 100 wins until he realized how long it took after he won his 93rd in 2013.

All three Giants scoring rallies began with extra-base hits: triples by Conor Gillaspie and Denard Span, and a Madison Bumgarner double.

Bumgarner batted for Cain in the fifth, drove a ball off the right-field wall, then gave way to pinch-runner Jeff Samardzija, who scored on an error.