Veteran pitcher Cueto ‘felt really bad’ being left off NLDS roster
SAN FRANCISCO >> Johnny Cueto made only five appearances over the final two months of the season because of elbow issues, but the veteran righthander said Saturday he “felt bad” to be left off the Giants’ NLDS roster.
“My first reaction was I felt really bad,” Cueto told MLB.com’s Justice de los Santos and KNBR’s Danny Emerman through an interpreter before Game 2 of the NLDS against the Dodgers. “Number one, because it had never happened to me. Throughout my career, I made the team. But when the manager told me that I was not on the roster, obviously I felt bad.”
Cueto, who pitched in the postseason with the Reds, Royals and Giants, was in the mix as a potential long reliever. His lone appearance in September was in relief. But manager Gabe Kapler and his staff went with hard-throwing relievers Zack Littell and Kervin Castro.
Cueto, 35, said he wasn’t upset that he received the news Thursday night in a phone conversation with Kapler, but conceded it was “uncomfortable.”
“Getting that news on the phone made me feel bad, because you don’t want to hear that type of news over the phone,” Cueto told the reporters.
Kapler was asked about the phone exchange during Saturday’s pregame media session, saying Cueto handled the news “like a pro” and that the pair wanted to discuss the decision in person, but logistics forced them to talk by phone. Cueto is eligible for the NLCS roster if the Giants advance past the Dodgers. GIANTS SHAKE UP LINEUP
>> The Giants went with a different lineup against Dodgers left-hander Julio Urías.
Three right-handed hitters who began Friday’s game on the bench— Darin Ruf, Austin Slater and Donovan Solano — started Saturday against Urías, who went 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA in five starts against San Francisco.
The biggest surprise was Kris Bryant in center field and Austin Slater in right field.
Slater is the superior defender and has primarily started in center, but Bryant has struggled handling plays in right center and Kapler said Bryant is more comfortable playing in center field at Oracle Park.
DO A DOUBLE TAKE >> There was confusion among a few fans on Friday. What in the world was Giants relief pitcher Tyler Rogers doing sitting among the paying customers?
Turns out it was Tyler’s twin brother Taylor, a relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. “A lot of people mistook him for me,” Rogers said Saturday. “Even during the game, they were asking him why he’s in the stands.”