Giants' Johnny Cueto: Gives up four, but records win Friday

Cueto picked up his 12th win of the season Friday, surrendering four runs on seven hits over seven innings while striking out nine Diamondbacks.

Analysis:

Cueto had a rough first inning, but he settled down and looked like his usual dominant self the rest of the way. It's tough to criticize a pitcher with a 12-1 record and 2.57 ERA, but he is currently in his biggest "slump" of the season, failing to record a quality start in back-to-back outings for the first time in 2016. It is also worth noting that Cueto has historically been a better first-half pitcher (2.95 ERA) compared to his results post-All-Star Game (3.73 ERA). That being said, he is posting career-best marks in BB/9 (1.69), HR/9 (0.44) and FIP (2.76), so there are absolutely no signs of regression on the horizon.