SARASOTA, Fla. -- Rookie Johnny Cueto had a tough first inning Monday, but wound up with a solid four innings against the Detroit Tigers in a 5-3 Cincinnati Reds' victory.
Cueto took another step toward earning a spot in the Reds' rotation with another impressive exhibition-game performance, after game-opening bloop singles by Edgar Renteria and Placido Polanco led to a 2-0 Detroit lead.
Cueto shut the Tigers out over the next three innings, finishing with four strikeouts and allowing only the two hits and two runs in his four-inning stint.
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"He seemed unfazed. He handled it like a veteran," Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. "He used damage control. Real good pitchers keep you in the game when they get into trouble early."
Baker's not ready to award the 22-year-old right-hander a starting job just yet.
"I don't want him to think he's got it," Baker said, adding that the Tigers' manager, Jim Leyland, said he'd be glad to take Cueto off his hands.
"That's one of the best-looking young pitchers I've seen all spring," Leyland said. "I don't know anything about him, but he's got talent. Unfortunately, he plays for the other team."
Veteran lefty Kenny Rogers pitched five innings for Detroit, allowing two runs on six hits and striking out one. Right-hander Denny Bautista, who seems to have earned a spot in the bullpen, followed, allowing hit in his inning with one strikeout. That gives Bautista 10 1/3 shutout innings in seven appearances this spring.
The Tigers decided to make Bautista a reliever after he bounced between being a starter and relieving.
"He's had a pretty good spring," Leyland said.
Cincinnati scored two runs off former Red and losing pitcher Todd Jones (0-1) in the seventh. Francisco Cordero (1-0) pitched two innings to gain the victory, after needing only five pitches to retire the side in his first inning of work.
"We needed to get him more work," Baker said. "His splitter was great. He was working on his fastball."
Carlos Guillen, an everyday first baseman for the first time in his career, had two hits and made some slick plays for Detroit.
"It looks like he's adjusted to it real good. He's real quick off the ball and is more agile than most first baseman," Leyland said.
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