'There's no excuses': Short start latest bump in Cueto's tough year

PHILADELPHIA -- When veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto signed a one-year free-agent contract eight months ago, the Marlins hoped the 2015 World Series champion could eat up innings for a contending club.

Saturday night against the Phils was the perfect time for Cueto to do so, with ace Sandy Alcantara -- MLB’s workhorse since 2019 -- sidelined. Down the stretch, Miami is opting for two openers spread across a six-man rotation to manage the workload of its three young starters (Jesús Luzardo, Braxton Garrett and Eury Pérez) who have blown past their career highs in innings.

Instead, Cueto went 3 2/3 innings and surrendered five runs in a career-high 50-pitch second inning en route to the Marlins’ 8-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Nick Castellanos’ two-run double and Kyle Schwarber’s three-run homer were the big blows in a frame that saw six straight batters reach with two outs, as Cueto became the first MLB pitcher this season to throw 50 pitches in one inning.

Miami (73-69) scored four runs in the fifth to chase righty Aaron Nola, but the rally fell short as the club dropped to 1 1/2 games behind Arizona (75-68) for the final National League Wild Card spot.

• Games remaining: at PHI (1), at MIL (4), vs. ATL (3), vs. NYM (3), vs. MIL (3), at NYM (3), at PIT (3)
• Standings update: The D-backs hold a 1 1/2-game lead over the Marlins and a 2 1/2-game lead over the Reds (73-71). The Giants (72-70) are 2 1/2 games back, pending the result of their contest against the Rockies. Miami would hold the first tiebreaker, based on head-to-head matchups, over Arizona (4-2). The Marlins (20-22) are in line to hold the second tiebreaker (intradivisional record) over the Reds (18-27) but not the Giants (21-14).

“It wasn't easy,” Cueto said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “It was just a matter of trying to make the adjustment. I haven't pitched in a week. I was sweating, [it was humid] -- there's no excuses.”

With the Marlins going with lefty Steven Okert to open Sunday’s series finale, manager Skip Schumaker sent Cueto back out for the third inning at 65 pitches.

“We were talking about [taking him out after the 50-pitch second], but again, we have a bullpen day tomorrow,” Schumaker said. “We were trying to figure out how to cover innings, and when we went out and talked to him, he said he's good to go -- ‘Give me the ball.’ Credit to him that he wanted to give us two more, whatever he could give us, because he knew kind of where we were at for tomorrow with an opener and somebody getting more innings tomorrow.

“Just the spot we're in. He gave us another inning. Do I want anybody to go over 40 pitches [in an inning]? No. It's hard to do that, but he felt like he could do it, and did give us one or two more innings, so that was the conversation.”

Cueto completed the third and got two outs in the fourth before lefty Enmanuel De Jesus took over, making his MLB debut against left-handed-hitting Schwarber. De Jesus got out of the inning unscathed, then went back out for the fifth in a one-run ballgame. He surrendered a bases-clearing two-out double to Brandon Marsh to stretch the Phillies’ lead to 8-4 before shutting them down the rest of the game.

“We have a bullpen day tomorrow, and in the fifth inning, that would have been really tough, so we didn't have many other places to go,” said Schumaker, whose club is on day five of 16 straight days with a game. “He was brought in just in case something like that happens. Other than that inning, he did a really nice job. We needed somebody to grab a hold of some innings with Cueto only going three-plus.”

To say the signing of the 15-year veteran Cueto to a free-agent deal worth $6 million in 2023 with a $10.5 million team option for ‘24 (and a $2.5 million buyout) hasn’t panned out would be an understatement.

Following three down and mostly injury-plagued seasons from 2019-21, Cueto posted a 3.35 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) -- his most in five years -- in '22 with the White Sox. That renaissance enticed the Marlins to sign Cueto as an innings-eater.

But Cueto experienced general right arm soreness during a disjointed Spring Training and exited his club debut on April 3 after 30 pitches with right biceps tightness. He didn’t return until July 16 because of a left ankle sprain he endured while rehabbing, and when he did return he did so out of the bullpen. Cueto made five starts (a 5.08 ERA) before landing on the injured list again with a viral infection. He didn’t collect his first win of the season until Sept. 2 in Washington.

“It's a little difficult,” said Cueto, who has pitched just 41 innings in 2023. “Last year was a really good year for me. This year, I've had to deal with some injuries: the ankle, the arm, a few things, but you've got to continue battling and keep working hard.”