LDN - Sports

Cueto guides Giants to crucial win over Rockies

[September 30, 2016] SAN FRANCISCO -- Giants manager Bruce Bochy admitted once again Thursday night he has no idea who his starting pitcher is going to be in San Francisco's critical game Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

All of a sudden, though, he has guys lining up to throw Sunday.

National League All-Star Game starter Johnny Cueto returned from a groin injury to pitch seven strong innings Thursday, leading the Giants to a 7-2 victory over the Colorado Rockies.

The win allowed the Giants (84-75) to remain one game ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals (83-76) in the duel for the National League's second wild-card playoff spot.

The New York Mets (85-74) sit atop the wild-card standings, one game ahead of the Giants, with all three contenders having three games remaining.

The Mets finish at Philadelphia, the Giants host the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Cardinals will be at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"It's exciting," Bochy said after the Giants took two of three against Colorado to record just their fourth series win since the All-Star break. "We wish we were in a better position, but you don't stop fighting."

Giants standout Madison Bumgarner is slated to face Dodgers newcomer Rich Hill in the series opener Friday night.

Cueto stamped himself ready to start the NL wild-card game next Wednesday, should the Giants get there, after limiting the Rockies to two runs in his seven innings, striking out 11 along the way. He surrendered nine hits and walked one.

Just hours after Wednesday's starter, Jeff Samardzija, volunteered to pitch in relief if needed this weekend, Cueto did his teammate one better.

"I'm ready," he said. "The last game (of the regular season) is Sunday. If they give me the ball, I'll take the ball."

Pitching four days after he was scratched from a start at San Diego because of a strained groin, Cueto (18-5) overcame a three-hit, two-run first inning to become the NL's fourth 18-game winner this season.

"What a great effort," Bochy said. "I thought he got better as the game went along, which is his deal."

The 11 strikeouts gave the Giants three consecutive double-digit strikeout performances for just the second time since 1913. Matt Moore and Jeff Samardzija each fanned 11 in the first two games of the series.

"That's a trend with a lot of the good ones," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said of Cueto. "You might nick them up early, but they start to settle in. That's what Cueto did. Once he gets rolling, he's one of those top-of-the-rotation type guys that can be tough to get to at that point."

Derek Law, Javier Lopez and Hunter Strickland got an out apiece in relief of Cueto, and new Giants closer Sergio Romo pitched a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation.

Cueto also played a role in the small-ball approach that produced a three-run fifth inning and broke a 2-2 tie.

Brandon Crawford led off the inning with a shot off the foot of Rockies starter Jon Gray, whose late throw to first base went awry, allowing Crawford to reach second.

Angel Pagan followed with a bunt single, advancing Crawford to third, and when Rockies first baseman Gerardo Parra unsuccessfully tried to catch Crawford off third base on a grounder by Joe Panik, the Giants had the bases loaded with no one out.

Conor Gillaspie's sacrifice fly scored Crawford and gave the Giants a 3-2 lead.

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Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto (47) singles on a bunt ground ball scoring two against the Colorado Rockies during the sixth inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Cueto followed with a bunt of his own, perfectly placed between Gray and third baseman Nolan Arenado. Once again, a late throw to first base -- this one by Arenado -- got past Parra, allowing Pagan and Panik to scamper home to increase the advantage to 5-2.

Forgetting for a moment that he was less than a week removed from a groin injury, Cueto stormed around second base after the error, then thrust his fist into the air as he danced back.

He was asked what was more exciting, the baserunning or the pitching.

"When I ran the bases," he said. "That's when we scored three runs."

Gray (10-10) was pulled at that point, having allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out three.

"They did a really good job playing small-ball," Gray said. "They laid down some really good bunts, and unfortunately I made an error. They just kind of put the pressure on us, and I didn't respond that well."

The Giants broke the game open in the eighth with two runs off the Rockies bullpen. A bases-loaded walk by Brandon Belt and a sacrifice fly by Buster Posey produced the runs that pushed the lead to 7-2.

Crawford, Pagan and Gillaspie had two hits apiece for the Giants, who recorded just their second home-series win since the All-Star break.

The victory also gave the Giants a season-series win over the Rockies, 10-9.

Arenado and Parra had two hits apiece for the Rockies, who once again sat out NL batting leader DJ LeMahieu.

The RBI was Arenado's major-league-leading 131st.

NOTES: Asked after the game about the controversial finish in the St. Louis Cardinals' walk-off win over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday might, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said, "You hate to hear that. It's a tough break for us." ... INF Gordon Beckham made his Giants debut as a defensive replacement at third base in the ninth inning. Bochy said Beckham probably would get a start Friday against Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Rich Hill. ... The Rockies struck out 41 times in the three-game series, one off the franchise record set in 2003 against the Dodgers. ... Rockies pitchers recorded only three strikeouts in the game and now need 43 in their final three games to break the franchise record for a season (1,234), a mark that was set in 2010. ... The Rockies finish the season at home with three games against the Milwaukee Brewers.

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