SAN DIEGO — Just as pitchers get in sync with their catcher, fielders get in sync with their pitcher. It’s a chain reaction that goes off each time a pitch is delivered, and the Giants haven’t seemed to miss a beat all season. Except, strangely enough, when Johnny Cueto’s on the mound.
The right-hander doesn’t only fool hitters with his varying deliveries. His defenders have a hard time keeping up too.
“Infielders have timing as well. Fielders like to get down in a certain position at a certain time when the pitch is going,” Brandon Belt said. “He can throw you off if you’re not paying attention to him.”
Even after 18 starts, Cueto’s defense isn’t completely used to his antics. It’s nearly impossible, because only he knows what he’s going to do next. Buster Posey doesn’t even know what the right-hander is going to do before delivering the pitch. That offers a potential challenge to the National League position players that will play behind Cueto for two innings in Tuesday night’s All-Star Game.
Belt said for a normal pitcher, he just watches the batter to see when he loads his swing. That’s when Belt drops into his fielding stance. With Cueto on the mound, he can’t watch the hitter. The hitter might be loading at the same point in Cueto’s delivery, but the ball zooms through Belt’s peripheral vision at different times. It all depends on what Cueto does.
The Giants first baseman had to tweak his fielding mechanics to work behind Cueto. He believes he’s figured out the best way to deal with Cueto’s inconsistencies, and his advice to the Cubs infield, all of which will be playing behind the Giants right-hander, is simple: Watch Cueto.
“I have to watch him to see what he does and then shift my focus to the hitter,” Belt said. “It’s a little bit different, but it’s not any extra work. If they ask me for any advice, that’s probably what I’ll tell them.”
Belt isn’t likely to play behind Cueto in the game’s first couple innings, but the NL’s defense isn’t completely handicapped. Starting second baseman Ben Zobrist played behind Cueto on the Royals at the end of last year.
As much as any fielder can be, he’s “used” to what Cueto does on the mound. Even so, that doesn’t make matters any easier.
“In the field, you can be caught off guard a little bit if you’re not paying attention,” Zobrist said. “Timing wise, as a defender, he gets you. But when he’s on, he’s as tough as anybody that I’ve seen.”
For the fielders’ sakes, they’ll just hope Cueto’s on. It’ll make their work easier.
