Johnny Cueto Cruises Reds Past Bucs 6-1

Johnny Cueto simply looked unbeatable last night. He is unbeaten this season, so maybe there is something to all of stealing Luis Tiant’s mechanics.

Cueto, the dimuntive right hander from San Pedro de Macoris, was exactly what the Reds needed. He was exactly what the Bucs didn’t. Cueto pitched a complete game. A seven hit gem with just three strikeouts and a walk that is backing up the sick numbers the right hander is putting up over the past 30 starts.

The Soto/Tiant gimmick is no longer a fluke, the Pedro Martinez clone is really starting to look like one of the best pitchers in the game. And it’s awful to watch and awful-er to write. The 5’11” hurler remained unbeaten in pitching his first complete game of the season as the Cincinnati Reds smoked the Bucs 6-1.

The Reds have the best bullpen ERA in the league right now, but damn if I wasn’t praying for anyone except Cueto to be on the bump as the game progressed.

The guy just kept pitching better, kept trusting his secondary stuff. I might be wrong, because I watched quite a few of the Pirates at-bats with my palm over my face, but it seemed like his velocity increased the more he pitched.

Pedro Alvarez drove in the only Pirates run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning.  It looked like the Bucs were ready to put a few more on the board but more agressive base running shut down the inning and the Bucs bats when Garrett Jones was gunned down at the plate on a bullet relay from Zack Cozart.   Jones was trying to go first to home on a Clint Barmes double.

Kevin Correia pitched seven innings.  We would say it was one too many, but it seems the Bucs are committed to pushing the starters seven.  In the seventh Correia was touched up for two bombs on back-to-back pitches as Cozart and Drew Stubbs went deep.

Correia simply couldn’t close the door as he suffered another defeat at PNC.  Three of the five runs Correia allowed came after two outs.  Chris Resop allowed the other Reds run.