San Francisco Giants: Johnny Cueto injury could doom playoff hopes

When fully healthy, the San Francisco Giants appeared to be a potential playoff team. However, the latest injury on their pitching staff may doom those hopes.

It was easy to understand the optimism surrounding the San Francisco Giants lately. They had climbed over .500, with a 16-15 record after Wednesday’s victory over the Padres. Jeff Samardzija had returned to the rotation, with Madison Bumgarner expected to return later this month. If the Giants could continue to tread water, the return of that duo to the rotation could spur a move into contention in the second half.

However, as of late, the Giants have been hammered with injuries. Closer Mark Melancon has missed the beginning of the 2018 campaign with a flexor strain in his right elbow. Mac Williamson, brought up to the majors to provide some punch from left field, is on the disabled list with a concussion. Joe Panik had surgery on his thumb, and will miss six to eight weeks. Yet, even with those injuries, and others, the Giants had hope for another postseason run during an even numbered year.

The straw to break the proverbial camel’s back may have happened. Johnny Cueto had been placed on the disabled list on Tuesday due to inflammation in his right elbow. This injury could be even more severe than originally thought, as Cueto is getting at least two or three more opinions on his troublesome elbow, including a potential visit to Dr. James Andrews.

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If Cueto is out for an extended period of time, this would be a major blow to the Giants hopes for the season. In his 32 innings over five outings, he has posted a league leading 0.84 ERA and a 0.688 WHiP, striking out 26 batters while issuing only six walks. His 2.0 WAR for pitchers leads the National League, as Cueto has had quite the impressive month for the Giants.

For now, Cueto’s place in the rotation is being taken up by lefty Andrew Suarez. He has performed relatively well in his first two outings in his major league career, allowing six runs on just nine baserunners in his 12.1 innings. Of those eight hits that Suarez has allowed, three have been home runs, inflating his ERA. And he did pitch relatively well in the minors, posting a 3.11 ERA and a 1.257 WHiP, striking out 319 batters with just 85 walks in his 362 innings.

While it is conceivable that Suarez would perform better than Derek Holland or Ty Blach, he is not at the same level as Cueto. His start to the season, even though it would not be likely to continue over the course of an entire year, provided the Giants with the ace they needed while Bumgarner is on the shelf.

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The San Francisco Giants have lost a key part of their rotation when Johnny Cueto was placed on the disabled list. Depending on how severe his elbow injury is, the Giants postseason dreams could have taken a major hit.