SAN DIEGO -- With 16 days until the trade deadline, the Giants put their best chip on the disabled list.
Johnny Cueto was placed on the 10-day DL a few hours after feeling blisters in three of the fingers on his pitching hand. The move cleared a roster spot for Madison Bumgarner, who will return Saturday night, and also ended Matt Cain's stay in the bullpen after just one game.
Cueto felt hot spots on his fingers in Friday's win. He had blisters earlier this season, too, and on Friday night he said this time he would treat them differently. Cueto indicated he would miss some time to let the blisters heal. He has never before dealt with this problem, so it's unclear how much time he will miss.
The Giants were already facing a tough sell with Cueto, who is having a down year, and now it's just about impossible that they move him before the deadline. They could always try to get him through waivers in August and see if teams are interested then. There are long-term implications here, too; Cueto can opt out of his massive contract at the end of the season, but that's much less of a lock than it was at the start of the year. Along with the ongoing blister problem, he has a 4.59 ERA and has not looked like his old self.
