Cueto wants to make complete games a habit
Cincinnati Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto is developing into an ace. That's no accident.
"This guy works hard," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He probably runs more than anyone on our team. He's learned how to work, how to get his endurance up. And he controls his emotions. Early in his career, he always had that one bad inning when his emotions would get out of whack. Now, he's learned to settled himself down."
Cueto threw a complete game, the fifth of his career, in the Reds' 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. He allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out four. He raised his record to 4-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.31.
Cueto was proud of the complete game, during which he threw 110 pitches.
"This is what I want," he said. "I don't want this to be the last one. I want to keep throwing complete game, complete game. It feels good. A lot of my pitches were landing where I wanted."
Cueto struggled a bit in the fourth.
"We managed the innings when he wasn't as sharp," catcher Ryan Hanigan said. "Then the last three innings, he was just on point. He got stronger and settled down once we got a lead. He was strong as you can be."
Cueto was still throwing 94 mph in the ninth.
"I don't always evaluate on velocity," Hanigan said. "Just in terms of the location of his breaking ball, getting his changeup down, throwing to both side of the plate. He locked in it."
