Giants Have Best Record In National League After Cueto Helps Defeat Rockies
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Johnny Cueto pitched a five-hitter to become the NL's first 13-game winner, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 5-1 on Wednesday night to move atop the major league standings.
San Francisco (54-33) passed the Chicago Cubs (52-32), who lost to the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the day.
Voted to the All-Star Game for the second time and a candidate to start in next week's Midsummer Classic, Cueto (13-1) allowed one run on seven hits with eight strikeouts and one walk while going the distance for the fourth time this season. The performance gave San Francisco's slumping bullpen a much-need break.
Cueto also became the first Giants pitcher since John Burkett in 1993 to win 13 games before the All-Star break.
The Giants have won five of seven. Buster Posey homered for the second time in three days, Brandon Belt doubled and tripled and Brandon Crawford drove in two runs for San Francisco.
Posey struck out looking with a runner on third in the first inning before hitting his 11th home run of the season off Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa (5-7) in the sixth.
De La Rosa allowed three runs over seven innings with five strikeouts and one walk. The Colorado lefty has lost two straight since his four-game winning streak.
Grant Green walked and scored on Belt's RBI triple in the first. Belt scored on Crawford's two-out single.
Green also scored on a wild pitch in the eighth and Crawford added a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1.
Rookie sensation Trevor Story drove in Colorado's lone run in the fourth on a fielder's choice grounder with the bases loaded.
San Francisco's starter wasn't as dominant at the plate as he was on the mound but still managed to end an 0-for-26 slump when he singled off De La Rosa in the second inning.
