MILWAUKEE (AP) – Johnny Cueto pitched seven solid innings in his San Francisco debut as the Giants beat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 on Tuesday night.

Cueto was the centerpiece of San Francisco’s offseason rotation overhaul when he signed a six-year, $130 million deal after winning a championship with the Kansas City Royals. Cueto (1-0) picked up where he left off in the postseason, throwing his fastball effectively and varying his pitching motion to keep the Brewers baffled. He scattered six hits and struck out four.

Brandon Crawford homered for the Giants and saved another run with a sharp defensive play. Sergio Romo pitched the eighth and Santiago Casilla got the last three outs for his first save.

Brewers starter Jimmy Nelson (0-1) took the loss.

Cueto capped an up-and-down season last year with a superb World Series performance for the Royals, allowing one run while tossing a two-hitter in Game 2 to set the stage for his big payday.

He retired nine straight during one stretch, allowing Milwaukee’s only run when Ramon Flores hit into a double play with runners on the corners in the second.

Crawford answered with a towering home run into the second deck on the first pitch of the third, then made a key defensive play in the bottom of the inning.

With Jonathan Villar on third, the shortstop fielded Domingo Santana’s bouncer and threw home to cut down Villar thanks to Buster Posey’s sweeping tag.

Cueto has won seven straight against Milwaukee.

NEEDED NELSON

The Brewers need Nelson to build on last year’s campaign after he led the team in starts, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts.

The homegrown big right-hander was solid, reaching 96 mph on the radar gun and pitching into the eighth.

However, he hung a changeup to Crawford and made one more mistake that eventually gave the Giants a 2-1 lead in the fourth when he deflected Hunter Pence’s sharply hit grounder that likely would’ve been a double play.

Instead, Milwaukee didn’t record an out on Pence’s single. With the bases loaded, Matt Duffy followed two batters later with an RBI groundout gave Cueto all the support he would need.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: The flu-like illness in the Giants clubhouse seems to have run its course. But San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy is considering sitting several veterans on Wednesday because of the travel back to the West Coast. The Giants open their home slate with a Thursday matinee against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Brewers: RHP Matt Garza (back muscle) was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday. Garza says he’ll miss between four and six weeks with the injury.

RHP Tyler Cravy was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs.

UP NEXT

Giants: RHP Jeff Samardzija is next up in Wednesday’s finale. Samardzija signed a five-year, $90 million contract in the offseason to join Cueto in bolstering the Giants’ rotation. Samardzija is 0-3 with a 6.30 ERA in 13 appearances, including six starts, at Miller Park.

Brewers: With Garza’s spot skipped in the rotation, Milwaukee turns to RHP Taylor Jungmann, who went 1-3 with a 5.71 ERA in five starts this spring.