Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
SURPRISE, Ariz. — There are so many uncertainties swirling around baseball, especially around Opening Day.
Whom the Giants would start no longer is one of them.
Gabe Kapler announced Wednesday that Johnny Cueto would take the ball March 26 in Los Angeles, where the Giants and Dodgers are scheduled to open their seasons. Of course, as the coronavirus and its panic spreads, there are few guarantees.
Jeff Samardzija would follow Cueto for Game 2, and Drew Smyly and Kevin Gausman would follow in an undetermined order. The No. 5 job is up for grabs and not necessarily required for the opening week, given the Giants have a few off-days.
Cueto has not been a spring training star, nine runs allowed in 6 1/3 innings, but his arm, which he said earlier in camp feels like “a baby,” is throwing in the low-90s. The Giants don’t need to see much else.
“Johnny’s done it for a really long time as a top-of-the-rotation starter and has been a really successful pitcher in this game for a long time,” Kapler said after the Giants’ 6-4 “victory” (in five innings) over the Rangers at Surprise Stadium. “He’s fully healthy. He’s showing that he’s athletic and that he can repeat his delivery and that he’s bouncing back well after his starts.”
On Tuesday, Kapler hinted it would be Cueto, but the manager wanted to see how the Tuesday starter recovered. He came through OK, and when Kapler gave him the news, Cueto smiled broadly.
“This is a guy who thrives in the spotlight,” Kapler said. “Opening Day is a big, exciting day for a lot of people, Johnny Cueto included.”
Cueto has never pitched Game 1 with the Giants, who have had Madison Bumgarner receive those honors in past years. He was a good option for the Reds on Opening Day from 2012-15, though, pitching a total of 28 innings and allowing two runs. He pitched seven innings in each outing.