SCOTTSDALE Jose Reyes Jersey , Ariz. (AP) — For nearly three years, Jelbow. He won 18 games for San Francisco in 2016 and started the All-Star game that year dealing with the discomfort.How he did so, Cueto isn’t sure. And the animated right-hander can now envision how great it will be once he’s back on the mound and pain-free following Tommy John reconstructive surgery.“It was a lot for me to deal with. It was almost three years with pain in the elbow, and strong pain,” said Cueto, who turns 33 on Friday. “It’s not easy. Last year I started well, but it’s a mental pain, it’s a pain that felt like someone stuck a knife in my elbow and stabbed it over and over again. It was unbearable and I don’t know how I was able to pitch and block the pain.”Cueto arrived in Arizona a couple of days behind the Giants pitchers and catchers because of personal reasons and had his physical Thursday. He is scheduled to throw next week for the first time since his August operation.The Giants’ rotation was plagued by injuries for a second straight year in 2018 with Cueto, ace lefty Madison Bumgarner and right-hander Jeff Samardzija all missing significant time.Cueto is down about 20 pounds to 226 thanks to regular meals of salad and fish. Yet he expects to be back at 230 or more once he’s ready to return — hopefully before season’s end around Sept. 1, to which Cueto noted, “If that’s the case I’ll be very happy.”“We would love to see Johnny start. That means we probably are sitting in a pretty good position,” manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday following a successful workout after one rainstorm, before it began pouring again. “But we’re not going to do something that doesn’t make sense with our medical staff and where he’s at. Because you get through that then you have another offseason to really heal up. We’ll see where he’s at when we get to August.”Cueto acknowledged he will let the experts guide him when it comes to a timeline and taking each important step along the way to come back.“Right now I feel like I’m ready but I know I’m not Jeurys Familia Jersey ,” he said. “My frustration was at the beginning when I couldn’t move the arm to take a shower, but right now I feel normal and like any other pitcher. I know what my problem is. The only thing I have to do is take it easy and continue with my rehab.”He begins the fourth season of a $130 million, six-year contract he signed before the 2016 season.Cueto did his offseason rehab back home in the Dominican Republic, where one of his half-dozen horses, Popeye, just died.He made 25 starts in 2017 then just nine with 53 innings last year before surgery. On Friday, he plans to throw a plastic ball against a trampoline-like screen.When appropriate, he will embrace the chance to mentor the young pitchers, particularly those from Latin America who look up to Cueto’s example in training and his accomplishments on the mound.“I feel really good. I’m working out and conditioning,” Cueto said. “I’m working hard to return strong to help my team. … I just want to make sure that my rehab is coming along well, that’s my main concern right now.” PITTSBURGH (AP) — Chris Archer came to Pittsburgh with much fanfare when he was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays on July 31. Then he went 1-3 in his first eight starts with the Pirates.It’s almost certainly too late for the Pirates to make a playoff push this season, but on Wednesday night, Archer finally looked like the pitcher they thought they were getting at the non-waiver trade deadline. He pitched seven strong innings Mike Piazza Jersey , and Pittsburgh completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 2-1 win.In his most impressive start since the trade, Archer (5-8) allowed one run on six hits with eight strikeouts and one walk. The right-hander made it out of the sixth inning for the first time in nine starts for the Pirates.“The one thing I hang my hat on is making starts and pitching deep into ballgames,” Archer said. “Giving up way more runs than I wanted to this year, but the thing that frustrates me the most is my average innings. It has to be the lowest of my career, but there’s a correlation. The better you pitch, the deeper you pitch into games.”The Pirates remain marooned in fourth place in the NL Central despite a five-game winning streak that’s moved them three games over .500.“You play the game to win the game,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “The games matter. They matter Game 1 to Game 150 to Game 151. There’s nobody that suits up and wants to go out and not play well.”Felipe Vazquez allowed one walk in the ninth but earned his 35th save one day after he let a 1-0 lead slip away — his fifth blown save of the season. The Pirates went on to win 2-1 in 11 innings on Tuesday night.Adam Frazier broke a 1-1 tie with a homer to right-center with two outs in the fifth inning off rookie right-hander Heath Fillmyer (3-2). It was Frazier’s ninth homer of the season, and it came two days after he fouled a ball off his knee.The injury held Frazier out of the starting lineup Tuesday, although he entered in the ninth and played the final three innings. He started Wednesday at second base.Fillmyer allowed two runs on eight hits with five strikeouts in seven innings for Kansas City, which has lost four straight after winning five of six.“What do they say in baseball? You can win a game with 100 pitches and lose a game with one. That’s kind of what happened today,” Fillmyer said. “Not that I was perfect by any means, but you know what? I left one a little up. The guy got it, and it ended up being the difference.”Royals manager Ned Yost was pleased with how the 24-year-old battled.“These are big-league starts http://www.metsfanproshop.com/authentic-tim-tebow-jersey ,” Yost said. “That’s exactly what you ask for. Go out, keep us in the game, give us a chance to win. That’s exactly what it is.”Colin Moran put the Pirates on the board with a single to left that scored Corey Dickerson, who was 2 for 3 with two doubles, in the second inning. Adalberto Mondesi tied it with a homer to center, his 10th, in the third.LINEUP CHANGERoyals: OF Jorge Bonifacio was taken out of the starting lineup after going 0 for 4 with four strikeouts and one walk Tuesday. He entered as a pinch-hitter in the ninth and drew a walk.TRAINER’S ROOMPirates: RHP Chad Kuhl underwent elbow surgery on Wednesday. No further details regarding the operation were provided. Kuhl was re-examined by Dr. David Altchek in New York on Tuesday. He last pitched on June 26.UP NEXTRoyals: RHP Jorge Lopez (2-4, 3.93 ERA) is expected to start against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. He left Kansas City’s game against the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 14 with a left rib contusion sustained in a collision with 3B Hunter Dozier.Pirates: RHP Ivan Nova (9-9, 4.07) takes the mound against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. In his past two starts, Nova has allowed one run on seven hits over 12 innings with 13 strikeouts and two walks.