Cueto aims to stand tall in Giants' finale vs. Padres (Oct 01, 2017)
SAN FRANCISCO -- One day after Matt Cain pitched his final game for the San Francisco Giants, right-hander Johnny Cueto might be doing the same when he starts the regular-season finale against the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
The Padres ruined Cain's retirement party Saturday, scoring twice in the ninth inning for a 3-2 victory that squared the final regular-season series at a game apiece.
A win Sunday with right-hander Luis Perdomo (8-11, 4.65 ERA) on the mound would give the Padres a clean sweep of the six series against the Giants this season.
"We'll try to win a baseball game," Padres manager Andy Green said of his club's approach to the finale. "Last time to win a series this year. We'll play to win the series."
Signed as a free agent to a six-year, $130 million deal in December 2015, Cueto (8-8, 4.43 ERA) can opt out of the final four years of the deal this offseason.
In scheduling the second-year Giant to pitch the season finale instead of saving the day for Cain's going-away party on his 33rd birthday, San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy indicated he'd like Cueto go into the offseason with positive thoughts about his season and the Giants in general.
Of course, he had hoped for the same for Cain in his personal finale Saturday, only to see closer Sam Dyson blow a save in the ninth inning.
"This wasn't the first time he's thrown some shutout innings and didn't come away with a win," Bochy said. "He's had some tough luck. We'll look back on this game as another memory of Matt Cain."
Cueto pitched brilliantly for the Giants last season, going 18-5 and earning a spot on the National League All-Star team.
But he's fought blisters and a strained forearm this season as well as an anemic Giants offense, helping account for his drop-off and potential interest, at age 31, in a fresh start elsewhere.
The 10-year veteran is set up to finish a winner. He will be facing a Padres club against which he has fashioned an 8-2 record and 2.16 ERA in 11 career starts.
The Padres had lost five in a row before pulling out Saturday's dramatic win.
First baseman Wil Myers contributed a solo shot to the victory, his 30th homer of the season. He became the first Padre since Chase Headley in 2012 to reach the 30-homer mark.
Myers has a chance Sunday to rewrite a piece of AT&T Park history with one more home run. He currently stands tied with Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado as the only opponents to blast six or more homers in the same season in the 18-year history of the ballpark.
Myers' six homers have come in just eight games at San Francisco so far this season.
In their effort to go out a winner, the Padres will hand the ball to Perdomo, who has never lost to the Giants.
The second-year Padre has faced San Francisco eight times, six times as a starter. He has posted a 2-0 mark with a 3.55 ERA against the Giants.
