Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Gabe Kapler did not quite view it as relief — one of his most valuable pitchers will miss a few weeks and is not healthy — but it could have been worse for Johnny Cueto.
The 35-year-old is expected to miss two starts, the Giants manager said Friday, with a grade 1 lat strain that forced him out early from Wednesday’s start.
Kapler said Cueto was a “little bit tender” Friday, but is feeling better. He should sit for a few days and not throw as the club evaluates a lat that Cueto said he has not injured in the past.
Cueto will have to be patient. “I feel uncomfortable because right now I’m just sitting here doing nothing,” Cueto said through translator Erwin Higueros before the Giants faced the Marlins at loanDepot Park.
Cueto felt his lat pull at him on pitches 67 and 68 of his homestand-ending win over the Reds, feeling the discomfort and quickly shutting it down. While it is encouraging that he should only miss a few weeks, it still is a loss of a pitcher who has looked rejuvenated in 20 innings (1.80 ERA), the Giants having won all three of his starts.
Logan Webb will step back into the rotation after pitching an inning in relief of Cueto, his spot having been occupied by the returning Alex Wood. If the Giants stay on schedule, Webb could pitch for Cueto on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
“I feel a lot better today,” Cueto said.
The taxi squad the Giants brought to Miami: RHPs Zack Littell and Trevor Gott, LHP Sam Selman, infielder Jason Vosler and catcher Chadwick Tromp.
Alyssa Nakken, the first woman to be a full-time coach in Major League Baseball, and Kim Ng, the first woman to be a GM in MLB, shared a moment before the opener of the series:
WHO RUN THE WORLD pic.twitter.com/7gDSGD4bkM
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) April 16, 2021
The Giants’ lineup was filled with righties against Miami lefty Daniel Castano.
1. Austin Slater, CF
2. Donovan Solano, 2B
3. Mike Yastrzemski, RF
4. Evan Longoria, 3B
5. Wilmer Flores, 1B
6. Darin Ruf, LF
7. Buster Posey, C
8. Brandon Crawford, SS
9. Anthony DeSclafani, P