CINCINNATI — Johnny Cueto gave up one hit in six innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks, but winning this one was as difficult as pitching with a sore back.
Pass the pain pills.
Why? Cueto had a sore back — a back so sore manager Dusty Baker and trainer Steve Baumann rushed to the mound in the second inning to check his health and well-being.
And Cueto went to the clubhouse after the second inning so that strength coordinator Matt Kruase could stretch Cueto's back.
After that, clearing sailing — almost.
Because of the stiff back, the Cincinnati Reds righthander walked four in the first two innings and needed 82 pitches to get through four innings.
And his teammates thought offense was something you save for tomorrow.
They scored a run in the sixth and said, "There you are, have it," and Cueto, Arthur Rhodes, David Weathers and Coco Cordero made it stand up for a 1-0 victory in Great American Ball Park.
The one hit off Cueto was a ball that ricocheted off Cueto's body, a hard grounder in the third by Felipe Lopez.
The Reds put their leadoff runner on base five times but it worked for a run only once. That was in the sixth when Chris Dickerson led with a single, took second on Jerry Hairston Jr.'s grounder to second and scored on Joey Votto's bloop single to left.
"It was Canada Day," said Votto. "Happy Canada Day to me. God bless me."
It was evident from the beginning that Cueto would not be around at the end. He walked one in the first, he walked three in the second and he went to three balls on nearly every hitter.
After four innings he already had thrown 82 pitches. And he had thrown three balls to nine of the first 15 batters he faced.
"I was good in the bullpen, but as soon as the game started my back got tight and that's the reason I was missing with my location," said Cueto. "Dusty asked me when he came out and I told him, 'I want to stay in the game.'
"The last two innings my back was feeling really better," he added.
With an 8-4 record and a 2.69 earned run average, Cueto is the primary suspect to represent the Reds in the All-Star game and his eyes brighten when it's mentioned.
"All-Star? I don't know. Maybe. Yes," he said. "I'm fighting to get into the game."
Said manager Dusty Baker, "His ERA is indicative of making the All-Star game, but they some guys in this league pitching pretty good. If he doesn't, he'll have plenty of opportunities."
Baker was more concerned about Cueto's back in the early going.
"I was very concerned," said Baker. "When I went out there the umpire (Hunter Wendelstedt) said, 'He's not himself.' Umpires know the pitchers as well as anybody. He said he was OK and said he could pitch.
"It looked as if it loosened up because he wasn't sharp and didn't have his velocity at first — 88, 89 tops," Baker added. "All of I sudden I looked up later and saw a couple of 93 and 94s and I knew the pain subsided and the stiffness went away."
On the other side, Arizona starter Joe Garland threw only 42 pitches in his first four innings, 30 for strikes.
The Reds, though, put their leadoff man on base in the second, third and fifth innings and did not score. Danny Richar led the second with an infield single and with one out Chris Dickerson doubled into the right field corner. But Richar was thrown out at home plate.
Arthur Rhodes replaced Cueto in the seventh and before Cueto took a seat Rhodes had runners on second and third with one out. Then he had the bases loaded with two outs, went to 3-and-2 on former Reds infielder Felipe Lopez and coaxed a fly ball to right to preserve the 1-0 lead.
David Weathers pitched a 1-2-3 eighth and closer Coco Cordero closed it with a 1-2-3 ninth for his 19th save in 20 opportunities to preserve Cueto's win, pushing him to 8-4 and making him the Reds' soundest candidate to make the All-Star game.
With Milwaukee's 1-0 loss to the New York Mets, the third-place Reds moved to within three games of first place in the National League Central, back to .500 again at 38-38.
