PHOENIX -- Johnny Cueto slipped a World Series ring onto his finger for the first time and flashed a mischievous grin.
"Nice, huh? I'm going to pawn it and see how much I can get," Cueto joked.
The right-hander was in fact thrilled to get a ring he had only previously seen in pictures texted to him by former teammate Edinson Volquez. He also received one of the jerseys that the Royals wore on Opening Day, and he said he is going to frame it and put it up in his home.
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The next order of business?
"Of course I want to win another one," he said. "I'm here with a team that's won three. That's what we want to do."
Cueto said the Giants have the team to do it again, and he's certainly a big part of that. With the way Cueto has thrown and the way Jeff Samardzija continues to throw, the Giants have a Big Three that can stand up against any trio in the postseason. Cueto has a mixed record in October, but when the Royals needed him most he came up huge. In Game 2 of the World Series last year, Cueto threw a complete-game two-hitter.
"I know that the regular season was not great," he said through interpreter Erwin Higueros. "But once the postseason came around (I told them) I'm a horse and I'll be ahead of the pack and pull the same way as all of you."
San Francisco Giants
--- George Kontos continues to be one of the savviest big leaguers around. He made the best of his rehab assignment, squeezing in a Warriors postseason game on the night the Giants flew to Arizona. After pitching back-to-back games for the River Cats, Kontos arrived in the clubhouse today, just in time to fly to San Diego and enjoy a rare full off day there. Smart man.
As for the pitching aspect, Kontos said he feels great and he's ready to go, although it's unlikely he's activated before Tuesday. Because he pitched two straight and is coming off a flexor strain, manager Bruce Bochy wouldn't use him today anyway. There's a slight chance Kontos gets activated for Sunday's game, but if that happens it means something went terribly wrong tonight and the bullpen needs help.
Bochy said he may push Kontos back a little bit in games since there's not that much experience at the back end of the bullpen, but he'll most often be used in that sixth-seventh range. There's a bit of a pecking order, finally, with Cory Gearrin and Josh Osich doing most of the work to set up Santiago Casilla.
Casilla, by the way, is unavailable tonight because he pitched in three straight.
--- Brandon Crawford had a bit of a sore neck yesterday, so Bochy decided to give Kelby Tomlinson a start against a left-handed starter. Crawford should be back tomorrow, but he won't be hitting behind Buster Posey. Trevor Brown will catch Matt Cain.
--- The Giants signed Ian Gardeck to a minor league deal so he can continue to rehab from Tommy John at their facility here in Scottsdale. Gardeck was in big league camp this year but he blew out during a Cactus League game. He was released in April to clear a roster spot for Vin Mazzaro.