SAN FRANCISCO _ Johnny Cueto's blisters have either healed up or he's growing accustomed to pitching with the nagging discomfort. After four rough outings, the 31-year-old right-hander threw like an ace on Sunday.
Cueto (5-3) followed up strong performances from Matt Cain and Ty Blach this weekend by surrendering just one earned run on six hits over six innings of work in a 7-1 win over the Atlanta Braves at AT&T Park.
The veteran right-hander had struggled in his previous four outings, going 0-3 with a 4.33 ERA while pitching with a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand. A second blister appeared on his right index finger before his start in Chicago on Tuesday night.
But the blisters didn't appear to bother him Sunday as he fanned six of the first nine batters he faced, including five-consecutive strikeouts starting with the last out of the first inning. Cueto finished the game with eight Ks.
For the second day in a row, the Giants bats spotted their starter with an early lead, scoring seven runs in the first three innings, which was more than enough for Cueto, who carried a 43-0 record into the game when receiving six or more runs of support.
It helped that the Giants (22-30) have figured out how to hit a knuckleball over the last three years. The last time the Giants faced a knuckleballer on June 15, 2013, R.A Dickey tossed 8 1/3 innings of shutout baseball. The Giants chased Dickey (3-4) from the game after six innings Sunday, compiling seven runs on six hits.
Eduardo Nunez scored the first run, crossing on a passed ball with the bases loaded after catcher Kurt Suzuki got handcuffed by Dickey's dancing and diving knuckleball. Brandon Belt made it 2-0 on the next pitch, coming home on a Brandon Crawford grounder to first.
The Giants scored four more runs in the second. Joe Panik led off the inning with a three bagger to triple's alley and Gorkys Hernandez brought him in by punching a single through the hole between first and second base. After Cueto moved Hernandez to second and Denard Span walked, Eduardo Nunez brought in a run by ripping a line drive into left field off third baseman Rio Ruiz's glove.
Span and Nunez eventually scored on Crawford's two out single to left, his first career hit off Dickey in 11 at bats.
The Giants added a seventh run in the third when Cueto helped his own cause by bringing in Panik for his second run of the game on a sacrifice fly to right. The Braves eventually knocked a run across the plate in the sixth after Suzuki brought in Nick Markakis on a fielder's choice.
