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.