Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
SCOTTSDALE — Johnny Cueto’s night went poorly before it even began.
Hours before Tuesday’s game started, Buster Posey was scratched from the lineup with a tight right hip — precautionary measure, Gabe Kapler might as well have shouted — and Joey Bart became Cueto’s battery mate, the same catcher who struggled to get on the same book, much less page, as Cueto last year.
There were more step-offs and confusion between Cueto and Bart, who, fortunately for the pitcher, won’t be working together any time soon. Posey and Curt Casali are the big-league catchers, and Bart will be developing in the minors.
What was more concerning was the uptick in changeups he threw and the nosedive in effectiveness. The Giants want to throw more offspeed pitches, and he acknowledged Tuesday that he thought the Rangers were sitting on his changeup and watching it go out of the zone.
His changeup was “something I wanted to work on today,” Cueto said through translator Erwin Higueros.
Spring training is a time for experimenting, for zooming in on specific pitches, on seeing what works and what doesn’t. Cueto learned what doesn’t in an outing in which he was credited for going 2 1/3 innings with six runs allowed on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts.
“It wasn’t my night,” Cueto said simply. “I couldn’t place the pitches where I wanted to.”
The outing was a thoroughly strange one, as Cueto had been pulled with one out and the bases loaded in the third inning. Righty Rico Garcia, impressing and throwing 97 mph, struck out two to bail Cueto out.
To up his pitch count — which finished at 71 — and get him prepared for what projects to be an Opening Day start, Cueto then re-took the mound to begin the fourth. His struggles continued, loading the bags and walking in a run before Kapler lifted him for a second straight inning. This time, Wandy Peralta allowed a grand slam to Nick Solak to destroy Cueto’s Cactus League ERA.
“His command was off a bit and he was falling behind in counts,” Kapler said after the 10-6 loss to the Rangers at Scottsdale Stadium. “As far as his ability to get synched up with Joey, it’s not where it needs to be. … Perhaps it was a good thing that we knock some rust off with Joey and Johnny, and it’s certainly something that we have to get better at as a coaching staff.”
Cueto should have two more starts this spring before the season begins.
Reyes Moronta, whose velocity had rung alarms Saturday, was better Tuesday, if not where he would like to be.
The 28-year-old, who’s coming off 2019 shoulder surgery, sat at 94-95 mph with his fastball, according to the stadium gun, and had a quality slider going, which he is throwing more. He struck out the three batters he faced.
“The velocity uptick is encouraging,” Kapler said over Zoom. “He’s done a lot of work to get there, so we’re happy for him. And he’s got a long way to go, but it’s certainly encouraging.”
Evan Longoria‘s swing looks in good shape, homering to left field once and then to right, upping his tiny-sample-size spring OPS to a staggering 1.308.
Yet he hasn’t played the field yet because of his plantar fasciitis. Kapler recently suggested Sunday as a target date for Longoria’s third-base debut, but the 35-year-old is in no rush.
“I don’t want to get into a situation right now where I go into the game and I play two innings and I get one at-bat and then I have to take myself out because my foot’s killing me,” said Longoria, who is taking plenty of backfield reps.
“When we get into the season, I know that I’m going to have to deal with pain, and everybody’s going to go through nagging injuries. Once that does start, then there won’t be any excuses.”
As far as the swing, though?
“Looks very similar to a young Evan Longoria,” Kapler said.
Matt Wisler threw a perfect ninth and struck out the side. Giants pitchers struck out 17 Rangers batters.
Scott Kazmir, competing for a long-man spot, had a rough inning, letting up four hits and walking two with plenty of solid contact. His velocity was fine, his fastball around 91-92, but he had issues with control.
Patrick Bailey threw out Texas’ Jason Martin at second, Will Wilson making the tag. Good NC State connection.
Cueto started Tuesday, Kevin Gausman is going Wednesday and Anthony DeSclafani Thursday. It’s not official, but there’s your first three for the season.