Make no mistake. The Reds need Johnny Cueto.
It wasn’t always obvious this season, with the Reds’ starting rotation being one of the best in baseball throughout the absence of its ace. But when Cueto (5-2) pitched five shutout innings against Houston on Monday in his first start in two-and-a-half months, the team had a quick reminder of the talent it has missed.
Cueto’s exit in the second inning against the Rangers on June 28 began his third stint on the disabled list this season.
This troublesome year follows a similarly difficult end to the 2012 season for the 27-year-old right-hander, who left with an oblique injury just eight pitches into his team’s playoff opener and did not return before Cincinnati exited the postseason.
The amount of time he had spent in the dugout led many to speculate just what the Reds were planning on doing with him.
Some wondered whether it would be best to just shut him down for the season —an idea further enforced by the success of the rest of the pitching staff — to avoid rushing him back from injury and having his durability issues drag on longer.
Others suggested a quiet bullpen role for Cueto, something likely thought up by those recalling what Tim Lincecum became during the Giants’ 2012 World Series run.
But Monday night was a very strong indication that Cincinnati wants Cueto to be a starter down the stretch, where he undoubtedly belongs.
Cueto’s return comes better late than never for the Reds, which sit 2 1/2 games out of first place in the National League Central Division with just nine games remaining.
With a 4 1/2 game lead over Washington in the wild card, it would take an otherworldly collapse during the final week and a half of the season for Cincinnati to lose its playoff spot.
Of their remaining nine games, six are against the Pirates, which lead the Reds by a game-and-a-half for the top wild card spot.
It is the best guess for most everybody surrounding the team that Mat Latos (14-6) would be the starter for the wild card play-in game, and if the Reds win that game, they would head into the division series with a solid rotation with Cueto’s return.
Cueto will likely take over Tony Cingrani’s spot in the rotation, as the electrifying rookie’s recent back issues have caused him to miss time on the mound.
Consistency has been a big issue for the Reds as of late, so the re-addition of its ace to the mix could be the stabilizer they need to make a deep playoff push.
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@_TonyWolfe_
