Padres Get Cueto'd

Johnny Cueto is becoming a problem for the media.

The Cincinnati wordsmiths are running out of superlatives to describe his uniquely superlative pitching dominance.  The Reds' 5-0 win over the San Diego Padres revealed no additional descriptive words.

Bryan Price and Brayan Pena have been asked the same questions about what Cueto is doing and they have been very repetitive.

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"I am sounding like a broken record," Pena has said over the last four Cueto starts. "He keeps getting better. He told me this spring that if he's healthy this will be a special year."

Pena should know good pitching.  He caught Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer with the Detroit Tigers last season.

Cueto completed his second shutout of the season.  He missed another shutout in the ninth inning at Pittsburgh when Andrew McCutchen homered with one out in the ninth.

As dominant as he was, Cueto didn't feel right coming out of the bullpen to start the game.

"When you have something interrupt your routine," said Cueto through interpreter Tomas Vera.  "Things feel heavy.  It was cold so I had a some trouble getting loose."

Cueto lowered his Major League leading ERA to 1.25.

"I think I am the best right now," Cueto said.  "My numbers talk for me. Everyone else has to worry about their numbers."

The unique aspect of Thursday's first game is the Reds gave its ace a little run support.  Reds' fans could have confidently turned their TV sets off when Brandon Phillips fifth inning line drive into the leftfield stands netted three runs. Single by Zack Cozart and Skip Schumaker preceded the blast by Phillips off Ian Kennedy.

Cozart, who collected three hits, broke an 0-for-15 season long drought with runners in scoring position by drilling a two-run single to score Ryan Ludwick and Pena in the sixth inning.

"I told B (Brandon Phillips) that it felt good to contribute something to a win besides defense," said Cozart, who was hitting .190 at game time but ended it with a .208 average.

Cozart wondered why Cueto is not getting national attention.

"I turned on the TV the other day and they were talking about.(Clayton) Kershaw and (Zach) Grienke and I was thinking, 'What about Johnny C?""

Kennedy had a pristine 3-0 record against the Reds coming into the game.

The Padres, last in the National League in runs scored managed just three hits off Cueto who has now pitched in seven or more innings in all nine starts, while never allowing more than two runs in any of them,

Fernandon Valenzuela had a similar eight-game, season opening stretch in 1981.

The only pitcher with a longer stretch of season opening starts like that was Harry Krause of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1909.  The Athletics have moved across the continent since then with a stop in Kansas City.

"I didn't know that but I thank God I'm the one to do that after 100 years," Cueto said.