By Morris Phillips
From Hunter Pence’s initial perspective–punctuated by a frustrated flip of the bat–his brief, but meaningful contribution to Monday night’s game didn’t amount to much.
But after his lazy, but twisting, “well placed” fly ball turned out to be the game-winning double in a second consecutive 1-0 win for the Giants, Pence could see how his inocuous fly ball turned into a thing of beauty.
“(Matt) Kemp’s playing back—no doubles—so it’s a long run, and the wind…” Pence explained in reevaluating the fly ball that was too deep for retreating second baseman Alexi Amarista, and too confounding for Kemp, who in part due to the wind, couldn’t find a direct path to the baseball. When it dropped in front of Kemp, it bounded off the outfielder’s leg a few feet, clearing the way for Brandon Belt to make it all the way around from first base to score the game’s only run.
The sudden conclusion rightly allowed starting pitcher Johnny Cueto to share the spotlight with Pence, and gave the Giants’ newest bonus baby a seventh win on the season, one he clearly deserved.
Cueto went the distance, throwing 114 pitches, but allowing just two hits. He retired the first 11 batters he saw, then after Kemp’s two-out single, Cueto retired 12 more batters. He struck out six, walked none, deftly fielded a pair of comebackers, and summoned his best pitch to strike out pinch-hitter Yangervis Solarte with two on and two out in the eighth.
At 7-1, Cueto is the first Giants’ pitcher to win that many in his first 10 starts since Jason Schmidt did it in his 18-win, 2004 season. He’s also the first Giant to record three complete game wins against the same team in a season since Atlee Hammaker did it against the Cubs in 1983.
“He’s got great savvy out there, along with great stuff,” manager Bruce Bochy said of his $100 million free agent acquisition. “And he knows how to turn it up a notch when he has to.”
To say Cueto has made a seamless transition to life in orange-and-black would be an understatement. The pitcher’s chemistry with catcher Buster Posey is undeniable, as is his overall comfort once he steps on the diamond. The nuanced pitcher can keep batters off balance with an array of pitches, works quickly to the benefit of the defenders behind him, and he can do the little things as well: field his position, and handle the bat (Cueto laid down a pair of sacrifice bunts in the game, both with two strikes).
“He just a lot of fun to be around,” Pence said of Cueto. “His spirit, competitiveness, the knowledge…”
The win was the Giants 11th in the last 12 games moving them to 28-19 on the season, and just percentage points behind the Washington Nationals for the NL’s second best record behind the Cubs. The Giants also maintained their 4 ½ game lead in the NL West as the second-place Dodgers also won 1-0 over the Reds behind Clayton Kershaw on Monday.
The win marked the first time the Giants recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins since August 1980.
The Giants have beaten the Padres seven straight times to open 2016, the first time that’s been accomplished by San Francisco over San Diego since 1987. While the games have all been close, the Giants have had the slightly better pitching, with Cueto besting the Padres’ renaissance man, Drew Pomeranz, on Monday.
Pomeranz, who pitched for the A’s in 2015, gave up two hits in seven innings, and saw his ERA dip to an impressive 1.70. But the star-crossed Pomeranz can’t do everything: despite his rock-bottom earned run average, he’s just 2-2 in May, as the Padres can’t seem to back the pitcher with the pre-requisite offense he needs to win.
But Pomeranz appears to found a home after making just nine starts for Oakland in 2015. His fastball command is much improved, and according to Giants’ pitching coach Dave Righetti he’s got an ace in his back pocket.
“He’s got his chest stuck out. He knows he has something that can get hitters out. That’s big,” Righetti said.
Pomeranz struck out four, walked four, but took the no-decision. The right hander lost his first two starts against the Giants this season, and is just 1-5 against San Francisco in his career.
The Giants look to continue their surge on Tuesday when Jeff Samardzija faces Andrew Cashner at 7:15pm. Samardzija is 6-2 on the season, and will be looking to match Cueto for the team lead in wins.
NOTES: Sergio Romo’s return to the active roster could come in the next 10 days, according to manager Bruce Bochy. The valued setup man pitched the sixth inning for the River Cats in Sacramento on Monday night, the first of five appearances that will conclude his rehabilitation from elbow discomfort, given there are no setbacks. Romo struck out the side, but allowed a solo home run as well, to Colorado Springs’ Orlando Arcia… Angel Pagan left Monday’s game after the eighth inning, after hustling down the line in an attempt to beat out an infield ground ball. Bochy acknowledged that it was the same hamstring that cost the veteran outfield a couple of weeks earlier this month… Baseball players always have plenty to think about when they’re on the field, including Matt Kemp on the Monday’s concluding play. The Padres played 17 innings on Sunday, losing to the Dodgers, as Kemp went 0 for 7, and struck out three times. That game lasted nearly six hours, and Kemp participated from beginning to end, concluding what was for him, a series without a hit (he finished 0 for 12). Kemp then finished 1 for 4, Monday, making the final out of the ninth inning for the Padres. So could the weight of his struggles, along with the fatigue from being in a draining game the day before contributed to him not catching Pence’s fly? “There’s really not much to say other than it should’ve been caught,” Kemp said afterwards. “And that’s not (Alexi’s) ball, that’s my ball. It’s easier for me coming in to get the ball than him going back. I take all the fault for that.”
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