PITTSBURGH - Manager Dusty Baker places a large premium on the important of getaway day - the last game of a series before his Cincinnati Reds leave town from home or the last game of any series on the road before his team moves on to the next city.
More often than not, the last game of a series is the third game and determines whether a team wins a series two games to one or loses a series one game to two. "Another important getaway day," Baker said Sunday morning, May 3. "What's our record now on getaway day, home and away?"
Well, Dusty, after Sunday's 5-0 dusting of the Pittsburgh Pirates, it is now 5-1 - a lot of happy plane flights. The only getaway game they lost was in Milwaukee, but the Reds already had won the first two and clinched the series.
Somebody mentioned that the Reds were 3-5 in Game 2s and 0-4 on Saturdays, and Baker laughed and said, "I didn't want to mention that. Didn't want to deflate this conversation."
It was Johnny Cueto doing the deflating Sunday in PNC Park, dominating the Pirates with eight shutout innings - four hits, one walk, nine strikeouts.
It was the third shutout in four games for Cincinnati pitching.
And it was Cueto's third straight above-and-beyond start since an embarrassment in Houston April 17. With two outs and nobody on in the fifth inning of a scoreless game, Cueto walked pitcher Roy Oswalt. Then he gave up another walk and an infield single to fill the bases. When he walked Lance Berkman, forcing in a run, Baker removed him.
Asked if that was a message and if Cueto learned from it, Baker said, "That's not what we're trying to do, but if he learned a lesson from it, then so be it. That wasn't the reason."
Cueto was asked about that incident and said, "It made me want to work harder and have better starts. I wanted to go deeper into games and I've worked harder to do that."
After Houston, Cueto pitched seven in Chicago, giving up no runs and four hits in a victory. Then he faced Houston at home and gave up one run and seven hits in seven innings, getting no decision.
Then came Sunday.
"I wanted to pitch the ninth, too, but they said, 'No, too many pitches,' " said Cueto after throwing 109.
Said Baker, "He wanted to go back out there, but we thought that was enough, especially when we need him sharp for his next start, which will be the St. Louis Cardinals."
Jay Bruce gave Cueto the only run he needed with his sixth home run of the year in the second inning, and catcher Ramon Hernandez provided a comfort zone with a three-run single in the third on which he was thrown out at second.
Hernandez was upset early Sunday morning, still seething from striking out in the eighth inning Saturday night with two on and nobody out in a game the Reds lost 8-6.
"I just lost it, no good after that at-bat," said Hernandez. "That was terrible."
But he made up for it and said, "Last night was terrible game for me, and I wanted to bounce back and help my team."
Of Cueto, Hernandez added, "The last three games for Cueto has been all about fastball control, down on both sides of the plate with a four-seamer and a twoseamer. He has been getting ahead of hitters quick."
