SF Giants’ Cueto looks like old self against former team, Longoria reaps benefits of new lineup
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When Johnny Cueto signed a six-year, $130 million contract with the Giants in December, 2015, he didn’t need much time to show he could live up to the lofty expectations that come with a mega-deal.
The veteran right-hander dominated hitters during the first half of the 2016 season and represented the National League as the starting pitcher in the All-Star Game. Cueto ended the year with five complete games, a 2.79 ERA and finished sixth in Cy Young voting as he set the tone for what the Giants thought would be a promising partnership.
As Cueto prepares for the final year of his contract, he’s still looking to regain the form he showed at the beginning of his Giants tenure.
After winning 18 games and throwing 219 2/3 innings in his first year with the club, Cueto has won just 14 and logged only 279 2/3 innings over the last four seasons. A Tommy John surgery and a season that was shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic haven’t helped his cause, but Cueto hasn’t come close to producing at the level he expects from himself.
In his Cactus League debut Saturday in an 8-6 loss against the Kansas City Royals, the Giants saw a glimpse of Cueto is capable of at his best. In an eight-pitch first inning, Cueto struck out a pair of Royals hitters, topped out at 94 miles per hour with his fastball and ripped off a changeup that was reminiscent of the ones he threw in his prime.
“Johnny did a nice job mixing his pitches, mixing his tempo like he always does, attacking the strike zone,” manager Gabe Kapler said. ”
Cueto also made quick work of Kansas City in the second inning, pitching around a Jorge Soler double by striking out two more batters and inducing a slow groundout.
It’s not clear if Cueto or fellow right-hander Kevin Gausman will start on Opening Day for the Giants this year, but it’s obvious the club will need both to pitch like front-end starters if the team hopes to compete for a NL wild card berth.
One reason to believe Cueto is primed for a bounce back year? He’s much more comfortable throwing to a veteran catcher, such as Buster Posey, than he is to inexperienced players who aren’t as familiar with his quirks, tempo and plan of attack on the mound.
“Buster is in a class by himself,” Cueto said Saturday. “But they are good catchers and they will learn eventually.”
Longoria reaps the benefits
Several Giants players have already talked about how much they’ll benefit from hitting behind Tommy La Stella and Mike Yastrzemski, a pair of batters who grind out long at-bats and consistently showcase excellent plate discipline.
Third baseman Evan Longoria might be the first player to actually reap the benefits.
After La Stella singled and Yastrzemski drew out a 10-plus pitch plate appearance for a walk in the third inning, Longoria delivered a go-ahead, three-run double into the left center field gap against Royals lefty Kris Bubic.
Bubic, an Archbishop Mitty grad and Stanford product, had kept the Giants at bay after they loaded the bases by inducing pop-outs from Donovan Solano and Buster Posey, but he couldn’t keep the lineup off the board altogether. At the end of a lengthy inning, the Royals left-hander made a mistake and Longoria drilled the type of line drive the Giants hope to see more of from him this year.
“Just to be placed in that situation, to feel a little bit of pressure, having fans back in the stands is a big change from what we’re used to, so just to have a different kind of adrenaline again is good,” Longoria said. “I feel like that’s what we need early on to feel the pressure of trying to be in those moments.”
If La Stella, Yastrzemski and Alex Dickerson are able to wear pitchers down at the top of the lineup, the Giants believe Posey, Longoria and others who will be stationed at the middle and bottom of the order will be able to deliver more knock-out blow this year.
“This is probably the best lineup that we’ve had (since I’ve been here) for sure, top to bottom,” Longoria said. “I think last year we showed we could be a good offensive group and I think we’ve added to that this year. The expectations are pretty high for us internally.”
Giants add another lefty
The Giants didn’t exactly need to go out and fortify their bullpen with another left-handed option, but they did anyway this week as the club announced it signed veteran José Álvarez to a one-year deal with a club option for the 2022 season.
Álvarez joins a bullpen that’s now stacked with left-handers as he’ll mix in alongside Jake McGee, Jarlín García, Sam Selman and Wandy Peralta.
“We certainly have a lot of left-handed options, don’t we?” Kapler said. “I have some familiarity with José from my time in Philly. A very dependable, durable reliever who is ready to take the ball in any situation. Throws strikes, misses some bats, pretty good against right and left.”
Kapler said Álvarez is healthy after he missed the final six weeks of last season with a testicular contusion suffered after he was hit with a 105-mile per hour line drive while pitching for the Phillies.
The southpaw will earn $1.15 million in 2021 and could make $1.5 million next season if the Giants exercise the contract option.
Selman and Peralta each have a minor league option available while another left-handed member of the Giants’ 2020 bullpen, Caleb Baragar, is converting from his role as a reliever to a starter. Kapler added that Baragar is dealing with mild hamstring soreness and may not pitch for the next five-to-seven days.