SF Giants vs. Angels: Johnny Cueto against Mike Trout, Will Wilson shows Angels what they miss and more

Johnny Cueto definitely lost his first matchup with Mike Trout, but he used the same pitch to fool Trout in round two.

TEMPE, Ariz. — If Johnny Cueto looked like the All-Star-caliber starter he was at the beginning of his Giants tenure in his first Cactus League outing on Saturday, the right-hander opened Thursday’s game against the Angels at the opposite end of the spectrum.

During a 5-4, seven-inning loss to the Angels, Cueto gave up four first-inning hits including a two-run home run to future Hall of Fame outfielder Mike Trout in an inning that was reminiscent of his roughest games from the 2020 season.

“I’ve got to tell you, that’s a tough few hitters at the top of their lineup,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “Actually, it’s more than a few. It’s a grind to get through the top four.

Initial signs of concern ultimately faded by the end of Cueto’s three-inning, 58-pitch start against an Angels club that had all of its best hitters in the lineup. The veteran right-hander actually exited his outing with a 3-2 lead and wrapped up his start Thursday by striking out Trout on a changeup that floated across the inner half of the plate and inducing a long flyout from third baseman Anthony Rendon after Kapler paid him a visit.

“He came out to consult with me and to let me know that I was already at 60 pitches,” Cueto said. “He wanted to know if I wanted to face that last batter and I told him, ‘Yeah,’”

Cueto struck out four batters in two innings on Saturday against Kansas City, but didn’t have the same control of his pitches early on against the Angels.

He needed a 7-6-2 relay to escape the first inning after giving up a double to Albert Pujols, but retired six of the final seven hitters he faced and likely would have set down six in a row had shortstop Mauricio Dubón been able to make a quicker glove-to-throwing-hand transfer on an infield single hit by Shohei Ohtani.

With Cueto on the mound on Thursday and fellow right-hander Kevin Gausman slated to make his Cactus League debut on Friday against the Rockies, the Giants appear to be lining up their longest-tenured pitcher to make an Opening Day start against the Mariners in Seattle.

Kapler has not made any announcements regarding the Giants’ projected rotation since the beginning of spring, but fans should be able to start reading between the lines by the beginning of next week.

Will Wilson reminds Angels what they miss

One of the most interesting trades of Farhan Zaidi’s tenure as the Giants’ president of baseball operations took place at the 2019 Winter Meetings, when the club essentially purchased a prospect from the Angels.

The Angels parted with their most recent first round draft choice, Will Wilson, because the Giants were willing to pick up all of the $13-plus million owed to infielder Zack Cozart, who was recovering from shoulder surgery and unsure if he’d be able to play in the majors again. All the Giants gave up to get Wilson and Cozart was a “player to be named later,” who turned out to be minor league pitcher Garrett Williams.

The trade gave the Angels the financial flexibility to sign superstar third baseman Anthony Rendon and offered the Giants a chance to add a prospect they considered drafting with the 10th overall pick in 2019.

“There was some talk there, but obviously the draft plays out in some weird, mysterious ways,” Wilson said Wednesday. “So everything worked out and I’m here now and that’s what I’m happy about.”

Revenge Game Alert

Will Wilson doubles home three runs for the #SFGiants against the team that made him a 2019 first round pick pic.twitter.com/E9evdcfJWO

— Kerry Crowley (@KO_Crowley) March 11, 2021

The Giants ended up using their first round pick to draft outfielder Hunter Bishop out of Arizona State, but landed Wilson six months later and now view him as a key part of their future. Wilson can play third base, shortstop and second base, but it’s his bat that the organization is most excited about.

“I think coming out of college, it was hit more balls in the air and do a little more damage than I did in that aspect,” Wilson said.

In a start against his former club, Wilson showed the Angels what they’re missing. After three straight Giants hitters drew walks in the second inning, Wilson drilled a three-run double down the left field line to give the team a 3-2 lead.

More than a year after the trade, the Angels are thrilled to have Rendon and the Giants are eager to see Wilson’s development continue in the minors this year.

“He has a chance to play defense at a high level at several different positions, run the bases instinctively and aggressively, which we saw today and hit for average,” Kapler said. “I feel like he has a chance to be sort of like a Donnie Solano style of player where he hits line drives, uses the whole field and gives you a good at-bat.”

The true winner of the trade: Cozart, who was paid his 2020 salary in full despite never playing a game.

News and notes

–The Seattle Mariners announced they’ll be allowing 9,000 fans into games at T-Mobile Park beginning on Opening Day, meaning the Giants will have fans at their season-opening series. Kapler’s club opens the season with a three-game series against the Mariners, who have already announced that left-hander Marco Gonzales will pitch the opener.

–Kapler said right-hander Aaron Sanchez will throw a three-inning simulated game against Giants hitters on Sunday. It’s unclear why the Giants have yet to send Sanchez to the mound in a Cactus League game, but it seems if all goes well for the former Blue Jays and Astros starter in his next outing, he could be pitching in a game soon.

–Right-hander Reyes Moronta is scheduled to appear in his first Cactus League game this weekend and will pitch either Saturday or Sunday. Moronta hasn’t pitched in a game since undergoing shoulder surgery in August, 2019.

–Austin Slater (hamstring) could appear in a game as soon as Friday. The Giants expect him to take one at-bat and play the outfield for the first time this spring as he’s been absent since exiting the team’s Cactus League opener following his first at-bat.

–Left-hander Caleb Baragar (hamstring) threw a bullpen Thursday and Kapler said the Giants believe he’ll soon be ready to pitch in a game.

–Major League Baseball announced rule changes that will be implemented across various minor league levels this season including introducing bigger bases at Triple-A and requiring teams to have four infielders on the dirt at Double-A.

The changes across all levels are designed to increase offense and the batting average on balls in play as bigger bases will encourage more stolen bases while having four infielders on the dirt will limit the creativity teams can use in deploying shifts.

At Low-A, pitchers can only step off the rubber and make pickoff throws twice per plate appearance, a drastic change that benefit baserunners.

–Angels first baseman Albert Pujols recorded three hits against the Giants on Thursday, marking the first time he’s done so against San Francisco in more than 10 years. Pujols homered in the first inning and picked up two singles on April 25, 2010 against Matt Cain and the Giants in a 2-0 win for Pujols’ former team, the Cardinals.