A shimmy, a stumble ... then an out for Cueto

Giants starter Johnny Cueto has shimmied on the mound countless times in his career, and evidently he knows what to do when that shimmy goes awry.

The veteran right-hander was pitching Monday night to Colorado’s Chris Owings in the bottom of the fourth with a 3-1 lead when, on a 1-1 count, he lost his balance while twirling with his leg in the air and his back turned to home plate. Careful to avoid a balk, Cueto collected himself, stayed aloft and was still able to fire the pitch home -- and even got Owings to ground out to third base.

"It was definitely the funnest part of the night, for sure,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said after his club's 7-6 loss at Coors Field. “A lot of smiles. I think Johnny himself was giggling as he came off the mound. Losing his balance, collecting himself and delivering a secondary pitch for a strike, it's just really impressive. There's not many people out there that can do that."

Cueto summed it up more succinctly, simply stating: “I have great balance. That's what I work for."

Cueto departed after five-plus innings, allowing three runs (two earned) while striking out four in a no-decision.