SAN FRANCISCO — Johnny Cueto put his hand over his heart in the sixth inning and stood alone in the middle of the infield. It was not a show of respect. The wily Giants right-hander was checking his heart.
Nolan Arenado chipped a long hit into the breeze toward the bay. It hung in the air like a comma. The night before, Arenado took down the Giants behind Madison Bumgarner with a sultanic swat. And Cueto was using a full bag of tricks to stymie the Rockies slugger. He shimmied his shoulders and shook his shins, he quick-pitched and slide-stepped — anything to throw off the hitter who has 14 home runs against them in the past season and a half.
It worked. Arenado’s would-be homer — along with the Rockies’ chances — fell back to earth. And the Giants, behind Cueto’s complete game and a Buster Posey homer in the fifth, beat the Rockies 5-1 on Wednesday in front of 42,076 at AT&T Park.
“He’s dancing out there,” Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez said.
The Giants (54-33), the runaway leaders of the National League West, finally got ahead of the Rockies (38-46), winning a three-game set to take a 7-6 season series lead. They’ve won four of the past five against Colorado.
San Francisco now has more victories than any team in the majors, passing the Texas Rangers for the best record in baseball. The Rockies, on the other hand, have lost 13 of their past 19 overall, including a sour 1-5 road trip through California.
“He’s a great pitcher,” Gonzalez said. “But we have to show up tomorrow and play. The good thing about this game is you will always have another opportunity the next day.”
The Giants finally figured out Arenado. In the first inning, after DJ LeMahieu lined a single to center field, Cueto’s sinking fastball got Arenado to turn over on a double-play ground ball to third base. In the fourth, with two runners on, Cueto’s cutter caught Arenado looking for strike three.
And when the Rockies trailed 2-1 in the sixth, and Arenado nailed a hard hit to right field, it fell into fielder Mac Williamson’s glove as he crashed into the fence. Cueto smiled toward first and caught his breath. He escaped with a phew.
After Trevor Story grounded to shortstop and beat out a double-play turn throw at first to score Charlie Blackmon for the Rockies only run, Cueto wriggled out. With runners on the corners, he caught Daniel Descalso looking on a strikeout.
“He’s not going to overpower you, but whenever he needs something to change your vision, he will hit his spots,” Gonzalez said. He and DJ LeMahieu were the only Rockies with multiple hits. “He will keep you out of balance with the different types of moves he has.”
The Giants got all they needed in the first off Colorado veteran lefty Jorge De La Rosa. After Brandon Belt tripled to right to score Grant Green, Brandon Crawford then drove him in with a single to center. De La Rosa lasted seven innings, on seven hits and three earned runs. Reliever Gonzalez Germen gave up two more runs in the eighth.
“They’re like any other team. They’re good. But if you make good pitches, you’ll make a lot of outs,” De La Rosa said. “I just had to keep the game close and wait until the guys start swinging the bats.”
But Cueto dominates the Rockies. He was named to his second all-star selection Tuesday. On Wednesday, he threw a complete game on five hits and one earned run. He struck out seven and walked one. He’s now 13-1 — with the most wins in the NL.
There was some doubt whether Cueto would pitch the ninth. And when he skipped onto the field for the final frame, bouncing to the mound for three more outs against three hitters, the Giants crowd roared. There was no way he would let Colorado slip away.
Against the Rockies, Cueto is undefeated in four games this season — with a 0.57 ERA.
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game,” De La Rosa said.
