Giants' Johnny Cueto: Shines in desert start

Cueto (5-1) struck out nine while holding Arizona to two runs on eight hits and two walks over seven innings in Thursday's road win.

Analysis:

The veteran righty's 2.97 ERA doesn't tell the whole story of his season so far -- he's been pretty consistently outstanding with the exception of a couple of six-run mishaps against the Reds and Dodgers. After struggling following a deadline deal to Kansas City last year and signing with the Giants in the offseason, Cueto seems to have settled back into his niche as one of the league's better starting pitchers. There may be some jitters here and there along the way, but that's nothing out of the ordinary for Cueto.