Emotions run high and low
Vogelsong, Wilson and Cain honored, but Cueto now hurting
SAN FRANCISCO >> On a day that began with an emotional celebration of three pitchers who led the Giants to the franchise’s greatest heights, the 2018 club ended the night grappling with the reality one of their most important players is at a new low.
The pain is back in Johnny Cueto’s elbow.
“Every time I throw a pitch, it bothers me,” Cueto said through translator Erwin Higueros.
Cueto lasted a season-low four innings and allowed eight hits in a 7-1 blowout loss to the Brewers on Saturday. The defeat extended a nightmare stretch for the Giants, who have now lost four in a row and eight of their last 10.
At the All-Star break, the club had designs on contending in the National League West and pushing for a playoff berth. Now, the Giants are 7.5 games out of first place and their highest-paid pitcher is awaiting a Sunday appointment with team doctors.
“I want to go out there like a warrior and give my best,” Cueto said. “I keep telling you guys and keep telling myself that I’m fine. But in reality I’m not. I just feel sad that I can’t help. It’s very difficult every time I go out there.”
The Giants signed Cueto before the 2016 season to keep their championship window open and build on the precedent set in the rotation by workhorses like Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong. After losing 98 games last season, the
Giants are two games below .500 with two left to play before the July 31 trade deadline.
Cain, Vogelsong and former closer Brian Wilson were honored with plaques on the Wall of Fame at AT&T Park Saturday in a 90-minute ceremony that featured tributes and speeches from legendary figures within the organization.
The celebration of three players who dominated opponents and pitched the Giants past every postseason competitor was a reminder of how they turned life with the Giants into success beyond their wildest dreams. But it made for a particularly brutal juxtaposition when Saturday’s game started and Cueto felt miserable.
“I’ve got to be honest, sure there’s concern there,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “For Johnny, we know how good he is and he’s just not quite there.”
Cueto missed more than two months earlier this season following an elbow sprain he suffered at the end of April. The right-hander said he was nearly certain the injury would require Tommy John surgery but after a visit to orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, Cueto opted to rest and recover.
Since returning from the disabled list July 5, Cueto has allowed seven home runs and 16 earned runs in 21 innings. With pain continuing to limit his effectiveness, it’s unclear when Cueto will make his next start and possible the Giants will consider shutting him down for the year.
“It’s there, it’s been about the same, and it’s holding ground I guess,” Bochy said, when asked about Cueto’s elbow pain. “We’re going to have to decide what we’re going to do here.”
Dealing with injuries is a harsh reality for pitchers, and a feeling all three players honored before Saturday’s game understand well.
After closing out the 2010 World Series, Wilson underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery in 2012 and missed out on a chance to finish off the Detroit Tigers. Cain was a top starter on both the 2010 and 2012 title clubs, but he missed the 2014 postseason after undergoing surgery to remove bone spurs in his pitching elbow.
Despite the time they missed, all three were leaders on pitching staffs that navigated the Giants through difficult postseasons. Though Cain, Vogelsong and Wilson can relate to the pain Cueto feels, it may be Cueto’s turn to suffer through the reality he may not be healthy enough to pitch the Giants into contention.
• During Saturday’s ceremony, team president Larry Baer took the stage on King Street and announced the franchise has decided to amend the Wall of Fame requirements. With former reliever and three-time World Series champion Jeremy Affeldt joining other Giants legends on stage, Baer announced any player who wins three rings with the franchise will be honored on the wall.
Baer’s declaration clears the way for the Giants to honor the “Core Four” members of a bullpen that played pivotal roles for all three championship clubs and will allow Affeldt, Javier Lopez and Santiago Casilla to join their former teammates on the Wall of Fame in the future.
The fourth member of the bullpen quartet that was part of all three title teams is Sergio Romo, who met the original criteria for inclusion by spending nine years with the franchise and earning an All-Star nod.