SAN FRANCISCO – The Giants put up a last-ditch 5-1 home run and secured their third consecutive series victory with a 3-0 win over the Reds on Wednesday afternoon at Oracle Park, but the good vibes were muted after Johnny, the right-hand man, Cueto was forced to leave in the sixth inning with a bar in his back.
Cueto struck through 5 2/3 pointless innings and blew a fast ball of 93.5km / h past Nick Castellanos for his fourth stroke of the afternoon, but he made up after throwing the field and immediately for catcher Curt Casali indicates that he was done. Head athletics coach Dave Groeschner and manager Gabe Kapler quickly looked at Cueto, who then walked off the field after throwing just 68 stands.
“He fought a bit in the earlier part of the game, but I don’t know exactly which part,” Casali said. “He was grinding it out. It felt like he was doing well. He may have adjusted something that compensates for another part of his body. You never want to see it, especially not when he’s doing so. Hopefully he does not have to miss a start, and if he does, hopefully it is not too long. ”
Cueto would undergo an MRI exam after the game and raise questions about how his injury will affect the Giants’ forward rotation plans. The 35-year-old veteran dominated in his first three starts of the year, with a 1.80 ERA over 20 innings, and he was on the verge of bouncing back from a disappointing 2020 campaign, when he won a career high of 5.40 ERA more than 12 starts.
Cueto showed he still has a lot left in the tank by shooting 8 2/3 overs from one run in the Giants’ home team on Friday, and he looked like he stopped on Wednesday. He outscored Reds right-hander Tyler Mahle and kept his former club on just three strokes before leaving with a 2-0 lead.
“I think every time someone has to get off the field for some reason, I will always be worried,” Kapler said. ‘In this case, Johnny throws the ball so well. We all had visions in the firmament of the fact that it was another deep start to the game, Johnny Cueto. He just looked excellent and completely in control. ”
The Giants’ bullpen carried the club the rest of the way, with Caleb Baragar, Logan Webb, Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee combining for 3 1/3 pointless innings to clinch the win. Before the game, Kapler announced that Webb would move to the bullpen to open a spot for left-hander Alex Wood in the rotation, but Webb could eventually return to a starting role if Cueto ends up on the injured list.
“It’s hard to lose him from this game,” Kapler said of Cueto. ‘Finally, if he has to miss a while, it’s shoes that are going to be difficult to fill. We will do what we always do, what is better for each other. ”
Mahle did not concede a hit over his first four overs, but the Giants finally broke through in the fifth when Austin Slater drilled a double in the right-midfield gap to put Brandon Crawford in first place. to sign and give San Francisco a 1-0. lead. Slater rushes to third place on a passing ball and signs from there on a helicopter by Casali to bring home an assurance for the Giants.
At 8-4, the Giants enjoy an outdoor day Thursday before undertaking their second roadtrip of the year to Miami and Philadelphia.
“I think it’s been really nice to be a part of so far,” Casali said. ‘It’s hard to get off to a good start in the big leagues. I think it is very important that we eradicate the momentum that we should create some separation and stay above 0.500 and have a winning ball club. As the kids say, we vibrate. ‘