The Giants win, but Johnny Cueto leaves the game early with muscle tightness.
S.F. wins series, improves to 84 with 4hit shutout
Even though Johnny Cueto’s outing was shortened by an injury, the starter set the tone for the Giants on Wednesday as the team completed a series win over NL Centralleading Cincinnati.
Cueto exited with lat tightness after working 52⁄3 innings, and four Giants relievers finished off a 30 victory, holding the highscoring Reds to four hits in the process. Closer Jake McGee allowed his first hit of the season, but also earned his sixth save. He has not given up a run in eight appearances.
Manger Gabe Kapler said that Cueto felt something one pitch before striking Nicholas Castellanos out with a 93 mph fastball and felt
it again “a little more significantly.” That’s when Cueto made a finger across histhroat gesture.
“You never want to see that, especially when he’s cruising like that,” catcher Curt Casali said of Cueto, who was sent for further examination after the game.
“We all kind of had visions in the dugout about being another deepintothegame Johnny Cueto start,” said Kapler, who let Cueto go 82 ⁄3 innings in his previous start. “He just looked outstanding and totally in control . ... He just never stops competing and fielding his position the whole nine so it was tough to lose him from this game.
“Ultimately, if he has to miss some time, those are shoes that are going to be difficult to fill.”
Cincinnati got some good work, too, from starter Tyler Mahle, who didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning — but that inning was it for Mahle. He might have been worn down from a 27pitch fourth inning in which he struck out the side but endured some long atbats.
Donovan Solano started things in the fifth with a bloop to right, and was erased in a fielder’s choice, but Austin Slater doubled to rightcenter on an 02 pitch to send in Brandon Crawford with the first run of the game. Slater advanced on a passed ball and scored on a infield chopper by Casali.
Kapler credited thirdbase coach Ron Wotus — the lone holdover from Bruce Bochy’s staff — for that second run, along with good execution by Slater, who was going on contact.
“Wo, heads up, comes over and says, ‘I think contact is the right play here,’ ” Kapler said. “Slater gets a great read and makes a great slide at the plate. We end up scoring a huge run. That experience in that moment really stood out.”
Casali went to second on a twostrike bunt by Cueto and tried to score on Tommy La Stella’s twoout single to right, but the initial safe call was overturned because Casali’s foot came up as he slid over the plate.
The Giants weren’t done. In the eighth, Evan Longoria walked with two outs and went to second on a balk by Sal Romano, so Mike Yastrzemski was intentionally walked to bring up Mauricio Dubón. A little pop behind first ticked off Jonathan India’s glove into foul territory as Longoria sprinted home.
Caleb Baragar, Logan Webb, Tyler Rogers and McGee worked the rest of the way after Cueto left. Since allowing seven runs, five earned, on Opening Night, the Giants’ bullpen has a 1.87 ERA. San Francisco, which improved to 84, has a 2.78 ERA overall, second best in the league.
San Francisco went 51 on the homestand and has won 15 of its past 21 at Oracle Park dating to last season.
“We hear the expectations before the season. We read the article sometimes. It hasn’t really affected the way that we go about playing baseball,” Casali said. “We’ve got a really good group of guys in that clubhouse, a lot of older guys who have been around and know how to win.
“Getting off to a good start in the big leagues is hard to do, and I think it’s really important that we ride out this momentum to create some separation , stay above .500 and have a winning ballclub. But as the kids say, we’re vibing.
“That doesn’t make me sound too old, does it?”