Corbin Burnes. Remember the name. The Brewers’ young pitcher pitched one of the best games of his career, going six innings, allowing no runs, and striking out 10.
On the offensive side of the plate, the Brewers’ bats came alive. Jedd Gyorko hit a solo home run in the first inning, the first of two on the night. Ryan Braun hit his 800th career extra base hit, a three-run home run in the third that made the score 4-0.
Jacob Nottingham, called up from Appleton to take the place of the injured Manny Pina, hit his second career home run. He crushed a fastball for a two-run home run in the fourth. The following inning, fan-favorite Mark Mathias hit a two-run double to make the score 8-0.
Derek Holland, who had confused Brewers’ hitters in the previous series, gave up eight runs on six hits and four walks. He also struck out eight. His ERA for the season increased to 7.62.
Corbin Burnes, on the other hand, earned his first win of the season. He improves to 1-0 with a 2.78 ERA. Perhaps the most telling part of his statline, though, was that Burnes only allowed one walk. Historically, Burnes has struggled with control and free base runners have killed him in the past. Tonight was the best example of the full scale of his potential and what a dominant force he could be.
The Pirates got on the board in the seventh when JT Riddle hit a solo home run off of Brewers’ reliever David Phelps. Phelps struck out the side to limit the damage, though. Drew Rasmussen came in and pitched a scoreless eighth inning. In an unexpected move, Counsell kept him in for the ninth as well, where he again allowed no runs.
For More Coverage
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherAdams14 and follow us @WiscoHeroics1for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!