Reds ace Johnny Cueto knew a strong start was required vs. the Padres on Sunday. Cueto was more than willing to put the pressure to deliver squarely on his own shoulders, but he appreciated receiving some backup.
During a smooth 4-0 win over the Padres after the Reds dropped the first two games of the series, Cueto provided nine strikeouts over seven innings. He allowed four hits and two walks.
“I’m feeling really well with the way things went today. We need this,” Cueto said via translator Tomas Vera. “That’s what I’m here for. We need this for the team. We need this because we need to get up. I want my team to stand up and continue doing this. It’s what we needed.”
It’s been a rough week for Cincinnati (24-31), which lost four games, three after the bullpen blew leads late. That included Cueto’s previous start on Tuesday at Philadelphia, where he was left with a no-decision after six strong innings.
In the two starts since returning from right elbow stiffness that cost him a turn in the rotation, Cueto has given up two runs (one earned) over 13 innings.
Cueto initially labored vs. San Diego with two walks and two hits in his first two innings. But he kept his opponent off the scoreboard as the Padres went 0-for-8 overall with runners in scoring position.
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