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Johnny’s Gem

Posted by Raphy on May 11, 2010

Johnny Cueto pitched a gem of a game tonight for Cincinnati. Cueto shut down the Pirates, allowing only 1 hit and a hit batsman, both to Ronny Cedeno over 9 shutout innings. In fact, when you mix in his 8 strikeouts, Cueto's game score of  93 ties Dallas Braden for the highest of any pitcher this season.  Here are the nine best game scores before tonight.

Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str GSc IR IS BF AB 2B 3B IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS PO BK WP ERA WPA RE24 aLI
1 Dallas Braden 2010-05-09 OAK TBR W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 0 0 0 0 6 0 109 77 93 27 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.360 4.783 .514
2 Colby Lewis 2010-04-30 TEX SEA W 2-0 GS-9 9.0 3 0 0 1 10 0 116 79 90 31 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.700 4.682 1.155
3 Jamie Moyer 2010-05-07 PHI ATL W 7-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 2 0 0 0 5 0 105 71 88 28 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.265 4.570 .409
4 Josh Johnson 2010-04-26 FLA SDP W 10-1 CG 9 ,W 9.0 3 1 1 1 12 0 117 82 88 31 28 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.00 0.164 3.570 .326
5 Ubaldo Jimenez 2010-04-17 COL ATL W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 0 0 0 6 7 0 128 72 88 31 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0.00 0.352 4.389 .842
6 Mat Latos 2010-05-07 SDP HOU W 7-0 GS-8 ,W 8.0 2 0 0 0 9 0 107 68 87 26 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.240 3.946 .425
7 David Price 2010-04-25 TBR TOR W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 4 0 0 1 9 0 108 76 87 31 30 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.00 0.518 4.934 .983
8 Roy Halladay 2010-05-01 PHI NYM W 10-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 3 0 0 1 6 0 118 88 86 32 29 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.237 4.570 .593
9 Matt Cain 2010-05-01 SFG COL W 6-1 GS-8 ,W 8.0 1 0 0 3 8 0 123 86 85 28 25 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.238 4.143 .627
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/11/2010.

Cueto may have turned in his first shutout tonight, but it was not his first dominant performance. Here are Cueto's top game scores prior to this evening.

Rk Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str GSc IR IS BF AB 2B 3B IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS PO BK WP ERA WPA RE24 aLI
1 2009-05-03 CIN PIT W 5-0 GS-8 ,W 8.0 4 0 0 1 9 0 109 68 82 27 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0.00 0.257 3.866 .524
2 2008-04-03 CIN ARI W 3-2 GS-7 ,W 7.0 1 1 1 0 10 1 92 68 81 22 22 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.29 0.295 2.641 .715
3 2009-07-01 CIN ARI W 1-0 GS-6 ,W 6.0 1 0 0 4 8 0 108 58 74 22 17 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.00 0.356 3.013 1.053
4 2009-04-22 CIN CHC W 3-0 GS-7 ,W 7.0 4 0 0 0 3 0 108 68 72 26 25 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.508 3.767 1.229
5 2009-09-06 CIN ATL W 4-2 GS-6 6.0 3 1 1 2 9 0 107 72 69 25 21 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.50 0.205 1.926 1.292
6 2008-08-19 CIN CHC L 0-5 GS-7 ,L 7.0 4 1 1 2 6 0 111 67 69 27 22 3 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1.29 0.239 2.860 1.175
7 2009-06-09 CIN WSN W 3-2 GS-7 ,W 7.0 4 1 1 4 5 1 111 66 66 27 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1.29 0.304 2.453 1.176
8 2009-05-08 CIN STL W 6-4 GS-7 ,W 7.0 5 1 1 2 3 0 98 67 64 27 24 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1.29 0.194 2.515 .657
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/11/2010.

A game score of at least 93 from a Reds pitcher hasn't happened in a while. Here are the most recent Cincinnati pitchers to post a game score of 93 or higher.

Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str GSc IR IS BF AB 2B 3B IBB HBP SH SF GDP SB CS PO BK WP ERA WPA RE24 aLI
1 John Smiley 1996-09-22 (2) CIN STL W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 1 0 0 0 8 0 105 68 93 28 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.207 4.762 .338
2 Jose Rijo 1993-09-25 CIN COL W 6-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 1 0 0 0 8 0 97 65 93 28 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.333 5.291 .509
3 Jose Rijo 1990-09-17 CIN SFG W 4-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 2 0 0 2 12 0 116 76 93 31 29 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.313 4.440 .558
4 Tom Browning 1988-09-16 CIN LAD W 1-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 0 0 0 0 7 0 100 72 94 27 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.694 4.016 1.050
5 Mario Soto 1982-06-27 CIN ATL L 0-2 GS-10 10.0 3 0 0 1 10 0 95 34 31 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.789 4.619 1.457
6 Bruce Berenyi 1981-08-24 CIN NYM W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 2 0 0 2 12 0 93 31 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.529 3.966 .944
7 Bruce Berenyi 1981-06-07 CIN MON W 2-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 1 0 0 1 10 0 94 28 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.511 3.966 .841
8 Jim Maloney 1969-04-30 CIN HOU W 10-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 0 0 0 5 13 0 95 31 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.227 4.279 .359
9 Jim Maloney 1968-09-25 CIN PIT W 3-0 SHO9 ,W 9.0 2 0 0 1 11 0 93 30 29 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.468 3.350 .830
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/11/2010.

8 Responses to “Johnny’s Gem”

  1. Kahuna Tuna Says:

    Even though he pitched his only no-hitter in a Reds uniform, Tom Seaver never had a game score as high as 93 for them. In fact, his highest Cincinnati game score came in his first start for the Reds (and it was not the no-hitter).

  2. Gerry Says:

    If you go back just a little farther, you get to Maloney's 106 game score for the Reds against the Mets on 14 June 1965. He pitched 10 innings of no-hit ball, then gave up a homer to Johnny Lewis in the 11th to lose the no-hitter, the shutout, and the ballgame. He also had a no-hitter (and a 94 game score) on 19 August that year, against the Cubs.

  3. Thomas Says:

    Always love a Jose Rijo sighting....

  4. Kahuna Tuna Says:

    Jim Maloney: the bridge between Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan. It must have seemed as if a no-hitter was possible every time these three guys took the mound. Maloney's best years coincided exactly with Koufax's (1963-66), and like Koufax Maloney was done by age 30. Maloney was (theoretically, anyway) a teammate of Ryan's for a few weeks in the winter of 1971-72, before the Angels gave Maloney his unconditional release.

  5. Kahuna Tuna Says:

    Homer Bailey followed up Cueto's gem with a four-hit, no-walk shutout. He struck out six, giving him a game score of 85.

    Should we apply a discounting factor for games pitched against the Pirates?

  6. Baseball-Reference Blog » Blog Archive » Consecutive Complete Game Shutouts Says:

    [...] the Reds today. Bailey allowed only 4 hits in a complete game shutout against the Pirates. As reader Kahuna Tuna notes this comes the day after Johnny Cueto also pitched a shutout for the [...]

  7. DoubleDiamond Says:

    Cueto and Moyer allowed only two baserunners each in their high game score games this year. In both instances, it was the same guy - Ronny Cedeno and Troy Glaus. Take those two out of the line-up for some reason, and maybe we'd have had three perfect games in five days.

  8. On Johnny Cueto’s gem Says:

    [...] of more interesting information about Cueto and his great start collected here by the indispensible Baseball Reference. Awesome. Homer Bailey, Johnny [...]