Giants place Cueto on IL again
SAN FRANCISCO — A depleted Giants rotation took another hit Wednesday as the club placed right-hander Johnny Cueto on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow strain.
Cueto started Tuesday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers and gave up 10 hits and six earned runs over 3 2/3 innings in a 6-2 loss that extended San Francisco's losing streak to three games.
The veteran starter was initially scheduled to pitch Monday, but Cueto began to feel body aches on the Giants' flight home from Atlanta on Sunday and was placed on the COVID-19 injured list. After testing negative for the coronavirus twice on Monday, Cueto woke up feeling well enough to start on Tuesday, but the right-hander was clearly feeling the effects of being sick during his outing.
With Cueto headed to the injured list on the same day rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players, the Giants activated a pair of relief pitchers and infielder Thairo Estrada. Left-hander Caleb Baragar and right-hander John Brebbia joined the team's bullpen Wednesday while Estrada was recalled to provide depth in the infield.
Brebbia pitched a scoreless inning of relief in the Giants' 3-1 loss on Monday and impressed the coaching staff by blowing a 96-mile per hour fastball past former National League MVP Christian Yelich to notch a strikeout.
Baragar owns a 0.49 ERA for the Giants this season, but hasn't pitched in the majors since he earned a save in Game 2 of a doubleheader against the Washington Nationals on June 12. The southpaw was a key member of San Francisco's bullpen in 2020, but has only made 22 appearances for the club this season.
During his time at Triple-A Sacramento, Baragar has struggled with command issues as he's posted a 9.37 ERA and walked 17 batters in 16 1/3 innings.
After the Giants' rotation carried the team throughout the first half of the season, Gabe Kapler's club has relied on its bullpen to take on a heavier workload since the All-Star break. That's a trend that's expected to continue through the month of September as Cueto's injured list placement leaves the Giants with just three healthy starters.