SAN FRANCISCO — Johnny Cueto returns from a two-month stint on the disabled list to open a 10-game homestand when the San Francisco Giants host the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener of a four-game series Thursday night.

The Giants completed a six-game trip with a thud Wednesday http://www.seattleseahawksteamonline.com/cody-barton-jersey , dropping a third straight game at Colorado to cancel out an impressive three-game sweep at Arizona.

San Francisco will have to hope a return home rejuvenates the bats that produced 41 runs during a recent 7-3 homestand. The Giants were held to three runs at Colorado, their lowest total ever in a three-game series at Coors Field by a full four runs.

Cueto surely has the potential to turn the Giants’ pitching fortunes back in a positive direction. Before being sidelined by a sprained right elbow, he went 3-0 with a 0.84 ERA in five starts in March and April.

After giving up no runs in two injury-rehab starts at Triple-A Sacramento, he was deemed healthy enough to return to the Giants’ rotation.

“When you’ve got one of your big guys ready to go, you pitch him http://www.seattleseahawksteamonline.com/phil-haynes-jersey ,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy announced this week. “He passed all the tests. He checked every box off. He’s thrown the ball well — no runs. His bullpen (Monday) went well, he’s practiced bunts, he’s set to go.”

Cueto will be making his 24th career start against the Cardinals, against whom he has gone 7-8 with a 3.74 ERA.

He has never lost to St. Louis since joining the Giants in 2016, going 2-0 with a 1.77 ERA in three starts.

The 32-year-old has had more than his fair share of success against some of the Cardinals’ top guns: Matt Carpenter (.217) http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/mike-edwards-jersey , Marcell Ozuna (.200) and Dexter Fowler (.158).

Cueto will face a Cardinals team that will be riding the momentum of a late explosion that produced an 8-4 win at Arizona on Wednesday night.

Before that win, St. Louis had lost five of its last six games, having totaled 19 runs in those games.

The Cardinals will send out 24-year-old right-hander Luke Weaver (4-7, 5.16) to face Cueto.

The third-year major-leaguer has struggled in his last nine starts, going 1-5 http://www.tampabaybuccaneersteamonline.com/matt-gay-jersey , and is coming off his worst outing of the season when he allowed eight runs in 4 2/3 innings in an 11-4 home loss to Atlanta on Saturday.

Weaver has pitched well against the Giants in his career, going 1-1 with a 1.86 ERA in two starts, both of which were in San Francisco.

Interestingly, Weaver has allowed just one home run to a current member of the Giants, and that happens to be Madison Bumgarner http://www.tennesseetitansteamonline.com/a.j.-brown-jersey , who is scheduled to pitch Sunday’s series finale against Jack Flaherty.

The Giants also expect to get Jeff Samardzija back from the disabled list during the series. He is slated to return from shoulder and pectoral soreness to start Saturday.

The Cardinals (44-41) and Giants (45-43) will open the series with nearly identical records. Both would be on the outside looking in had the playoffs begun Thursday.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP)The NFL plans to contact the Buffalo Bills regarding team president Russ Brandon’s abrupt resignation amid allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a female employee.The league released a statement Thursday saying it will discuss the matter with the Bills and ”make a decision in the next few days about what, if any, further steps we will take.”Brandon was also president of the Terry and Kim Pegula-owned Buffalo Sabres.NHL spokesman Gary Meagher tells The Associated Press the league has determined Brandon’s resignation is ”appropriately a club matter” after consulting with Sabres officials.Brandon resigned Tuesday after spending 20 years working up the Bills’ executive ranks, and spending the past three years overseeing the Sabres.Two people with direct knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Brandon’s resignation came after he was confronted about the relationship by the Pegulas. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because it is an internal matter http://www.tennesseetitansteamonline.com/amani-hooker-jersey , and the Pegulas did not provide a reason when announcing they accepted Brandon’s resignation.Brandon told the AP he had contemplated stepping down from the job for some time, and felt the timing was right following the conclusion of the NFL draft. He did not respond to follow-up questions regarding the alleged relationship.—