Cincinnati Reds' Johnny Cueto vows to win 20 games this season – MLB News
The Cincinnati Reds' starter Johnny Cueto said on Sunday, September 2, that he wants to win at least 20 games this season. The pitcher, who has already won 17 games, is the only starter to have this record for the season.
But he has set his eyes on something far bigger. With lofty aspirations, he is all set to start the game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, being the starter of the opening of the three-game series.
"All I can promise right now is I'm going to keep going," the right-hander asserted with a high level of hope tinged by confidence. "because I want to win at least 20 games."
Scheduled to be played on Monday, the three-game series first encounter is at Great American Ball Park. Cueto, for the obvious reasons, is looking to this game with a prospect of doing something extraordinary.
His team has already shown its class, being at the top of the National League Central with no less than a nine and a half game lead. No one, for now, appears to be set to break the stranglehold of the Cincinnati Reds.
Cueto, being the leader of National League starters with 2.48 ERA commands inspiration and awe. In his 27 starts, he has allowed no more than two runs, in fact he has kept it below that.
That aspect does not obviously go missing by anyone there, let alone the team manager.
"Johnny is certainly in the running," Reds' manager Dusty Baker said on Tuesday. "To me, he is the top dog. He has some more starts left. When the smoke clears, if he's pitching like he's pitching now, in my opinion he should [win the Cy Young]. More importantly, when he's winning, we're winning."
Facing Cueto is Tyler Cloyd, who is a rookie will be making his debut on Wednesday.
"[Cloyd] did good," Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel said afterward. "He looked in control. He's gutty. He doesn't light the radar gun up, but [his] command was good.”
Who will prevail at the end is something that the club and the fans will watch with great anticipation and excitement.
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