Giants RHP Cueto seeking bounce-back effort versus Braves

SAN FRANCISCO -- The injury-plagued San Francisco Giants hope they can put one potential issue behind them when Johnny Cueto takes the mound to face the Atlanta Braves in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday afternoon.

Cueto is coming off a career-worst, three-home run allowance against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, an effort the veteran blamed on a second blister that had sprouted on his right hand during a between-starts session in St. Louis.

Cueto had been expected to help fill the void created by Madison Bumgarner's separated shoulder. But after winning four of his first six starts, he hasn't won any of his last four, including the most recent two in which he's been pounded for nine runs and 13 hits in 12 innings.

"It's not a case where we're pushing it," Giants manager Bruce Bochy claimed, insisting Cueto wouldn't be pitching Sunday if he weren't close to 100 percent. "He wants to pitch and he's battling it. He hasn't quite gotten over it."

The Giants could help ease their starter's pain with another offensive effort like the one that produced a 6-3 win over the Braves on Saturday night.

The nine-hit attack featured a pair of home runs, including a two-run shot by backup catcher Nick Hundley that was just the Giants' eighth of the season with at least one man aboard.

Home runs have traditionally been a problem for Braves right-hander R.A. Dickey, who gets the call with Atlanta having a chance to win the series.

The Braves took the opener of the three-game set 2-0 Friday night behind left-hander Jaime Garcia's gem.

Dickey has allowed 24 or more home runs in five consecutive seasons. He appears well on his way to making it six straight, having been bombed for 11 already this year.

Dickey is 2-1 with a 2.88 ERA in five career starts against the Giants. He's allowed just three homers in those games, one to Brandon Belt, who contributed a solo shot to Saturday's win, and two others to reserve outfielders (Gorkys Hernandez and Justin Ruggiano) who might not even play Sunday.

Like Cueto, Dickey has struggled of late, having gone winless in his last four starts.

The knuckleballer was last seen giving up 11 hits in six innings in a 6-5 win over Pittsburgh in which both teams finished with 15 hits.

After watching his team struggle offensively in Saturday's loss to Giants left-hander Ty Blach, Braves manager Brian Snitker admitted he was looking forward to seeing a righty on Sunday.

"That's only the fourth (lefty) starter we've faced all year," Snitker observed. "Guys like that can give you trouble. We haven't seen that."

Cueto has just a 1/3 lifetime record and 3.86 ERA in seven starts against Atlanta.

The Braves had entered Saturday's game on a nice offensive role. They'd won 10 of their previous 15 games by averaging 5.0 runs per contest.

Atlanta had clubbed 49 extra-base hits over that 15-game stretch, then got a triple from Danny Santana and a double from Matt Kemp in Saturday's loss to raise the number to 51.

The Braves haven't lost any of their last five series, winning three and splitting a pair.