Somebody book Johnny Cueto a plane ticket to Los Angeles.
The veteran starter appears ready to rejoin the Giants’ rotation next weekend against the Dodgers after acing what was expected to be his final rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento.
Cueto pitched six shutout innings in the River Cats' 3-0 loss to the El Paso Chihuahuas on Saturday night. He allowed just four hits, walked none and struck out six batters.
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Earlier this week, Giants manager Bruce Bochy said Cueto was "getting close" to returning to the big league club. After Saturday's outing, it's clear the right-hander doesn't need any more fine-tuning in the minors.
After the Giants wrap up their series with the Padres on Sunday, they will head to St. Louis for a four-game series beginning Monday. After that, they will come back to the West Coast and open a three-game series against the Dodgers on Friday in LA.
San Francisco Giants
On regular rest, Cueto would be ready to pitch Thursday in St. Louis. But the options that make the most sense are for him to slide in either Saturday or Sunday in LA. Tyler Beede is scheduled to go Saturday, and Dereck Rodriguez is penciled in for Sunday's start.
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Bochy could start Cueto on Saturday against Clayton Kershaw and push Beede to Sunday. Rodriguez has given up 11 earned runs in nine innings over his last two starts, so it makes sense for the Giants to give him a break or move him to the bullpen.
The Giants have fallen out of the NL wild-card race, but the return of Cueto provides a little bit of excitement as the calendar flips to September.