Last Updated on September 29, 2016 10:52 pm by Brad Burns
Giants’ Cueto looks to snatch set from Rockies
It’s not quite a must-win situation, but the Giants couldn’t be more excited to hand the ball to Johnny Cueto this evening.
San Francisco’s ace righty makes his return from a one-contest injury absence in tonight’s key tussle vs. Colorado, with a 10:15 p.m. ET first pitch at AT&T Park. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives the host squad odds of -200 to prevail. Conversely, the Rockies represent +180 underdogs. The over/under run total sits at seven.
While the status of Cueto’s groin remains somewhat sketchy, manager Bruce Bochy needs the All-Star to be his usual shelf in several hours. Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat could have been backbreaking in the National League wild-card race – if the Mets and Cardinals had actually won. Both clubs fell, however, meaning the Giants stayed a game up on St. Louis for the final playoff spot at present.
In September, Cueto boasts a 3-0 record with a 1.59 ERA. He’s also dominated Walt Weiss’ crew in 2016, going 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA in three meetings. Cueto will be opposed by rookie Jon Gray, who recorded a franchise-record 16-strikeout tilt not long ago.
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Gray promises to miss a lot of bats shortly, but will Colorado muster enough offense vs. Cueto? Weiss’ rather inexplicable decision to sit DJ LeMahieu in hopes of clinching the NL batting title for the second baseman truly compromises the visiting bunch’s lineup. And while Cueto may not flash vintage perform, he’s still likely to give San Francisco a tremendous effort.
THURSDAY MLB FREE PICK: GIANTS -1.5