SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants (54-33) rode Johnny Cueto for all 27 outs Wednesday night, and beat the Rockies (38-46), 5-1. Here’s how the game unfolded.
MORE: Cueto rounds out spectacular first half with complete game
The big moment
Cueto emerged from the Giants dugout to a thunderous ovation as the top of the ninth inning was set to begin. He began the frame with 110 pitches, only nine shy of the most he’s thrown in a game this year. He made short work of the Rockies. D.J. LaMahieu struck out swinging to start the inning, followed by Nolan Arenado grounding out to shortstop. Cueto rounded out his complete game by stepping on first base to retire Carlos Gonzalez.
At the plate
For a second straight game, the Giants didn’t wait around to go up on the Rockies. Grant Green walked with one out, scoring when Brandon Belt cracked a ball to deep right-center that Carlos Gonzalez appeared to have a beat on. He gave up on it as he neared the warning track, and the ball bounced in for a one-out triple.
Buster Posey came up, and struck out for the just fifth time this year with a runner on third. He took a two-strike curveball that Jorge De La Rosa couldn’t help but throw again on the next pitch. But Brandon Crawford was all over it, and splashed a two-out single into center to push the Giants ahead by two.
De La Rosa cruised through innings three, four and five on only 34 pitches, but ran into Posey again in the sixth. The Giants catcher was all over a belt-high cutter, putting a charge into his team-leading 11th home run to make it 3-1 Giants.
The Giants struck twice more in the eighth, set up by Belt’s league-leading 27th double that banged off the wall in left-center. That pushed Grant Green to third base, and he scored when a breaking ball squirted away from Rockies catcher Tony Wolters. Crawford then lifted a sac fly to Gonzalez in right field, and the lead stretched to four.
On the mound
The Giants got exactly what they needed from Cueto. He picked up a sulking bullpen by throwing XX innings, stretching it out in his last start before the All-Star break. That’s not the same luxury given to Madison Bumgarner, who was pulled after 96 pitches on Tuesday in anticipation of making a final start before the All-Star game.
Cueto eased through two innings on 17 pitches, the benefactor of two double plays to wipe away a pair of hits. He nearly got a third after loading the bases in the fourth, but Green was a moment too slow to throw out Trevor Story at first. That scored the Rockies only run off Cueto, who kicked back into gear and retired 13 of the next 14 hitters through the eighth inning.
In the ‘pen
Sergio Romo warmed up a couple times.
On deck
The Giants are taking full advantage of Thursday’s off-day. It allows the team to skip the fifth spot in the rotation, meaning Madison Bumgarner will start the first-half finale on Sunday. First though, Jeff Samardzija (8-5, 3.97 ERA) begins the series against the Diamondbacks on Friday, pitching against left-hander Patrick Corbin (4-6, 4.90 ERA). First pitch at 7:15 p.m. on KNBR 680.
