SAN DIEGO _ The Giants get a grunting, snarling presence back on the mound when Madison Bumgarner resumes his place in the rotation after a three-month absence Saturday night.
But just as Bumgarner arrives, Johnny Cueto might be on his way to the disabled list.
Cueto lasted just four innings in the Giants' 5-4 victory over the San Diego Padres on Friday, and he wore a glum expression along with bandages on the tips of three fingers on his pitching hand.
The blisters that prevented him from making precise pitches in April are back with a vengeance. And the right-hander didn't rule out the possibility that changes to the baseball might be to blame.
"I think the best thing for me to do would be to take some time off," said Cueto, who wasn't sharp while throwing 82 pitches in four innings at Petco Park. "I'm not throwing very well. I don't want to hurt myself. ... I just can't feel the ball."
Giants manager Bruce Bochy described the irritation as "hot spots" on Cueto's index and middle fingers. Cueto also said his thumb flared up as well. When asked if a harder baseball or flatter seams could be to blame, Cueto did not shake his head.
"Probably," he said in English.
Spanish interpreter Erwin Higueros translated the rest of his answer: "It's hard for me to explain. The balls are all the same. I don't really know what is happening."
Cueto said the ball feels harder to him, which meshes with the theory that a harder ball and flatter seams offer a partial explanation to Major League Baseball's all-time record rate at which home runs were hit in the first half of the season. There seem to be a rash of pitchers _ Rich Hill, Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Taijuan Walker and the A's Jharel Cotton _ dealing with blister issues, too.
A large scouting contingent came to perform due diligence on Cueto, but the Giants are only open to dealing him if they would receive a significant return. And Cueto simply hasn't pitched well enough to warrant that kind of recommendation.
Now he's not healthy enough, either. And Bochy said he wasn't sure if the right-hander would make his next start.
"He's frustrated with it," Bochy said. "If we have to skip him, we'll skip him."
