Saturday’s starter Sports,
Corbin Burnes is getting a second chance to prove he belongs in the Brewers’ starting rotation.
A new-and-improved Corbin Burnes is getting a second chance to prove he belongs in the Milwaukee Brewers' starting rotation.
The Brewers confirmed Tuesday that Burnes will start Saturday in the second game of the opening series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. That turn originally was assigned to left-hander Brett Anderson before a blister on his index finger landed him on the injured list.
Burnes, 25, has been one of the most impressive
pitchers in the Brewers’ summer camp during intrasquad action. In one stretch over two outings, he retired 18 consecutive batters, striking out eight.
“There’s a different pitch mix there,” said pitching coach Chris Hook, referring specifically to a four-seam fastball that Burnes throws more to keep the ball down in the strike zone. “He started last September making some changes delivery-wise. He’s made those; he stuck with them through the winter. It’s taken months for him to get where he’s at right now.
“I think the main thing is getting his hand in a position where he could get through the baseball to cause that sink he’s getting right now. Last year, the way his body was moving, it just wasn’t good for his hand to be in that spot out front consistently for the sinker. You really have to stay on this pitch, and it’s performed really well; obviously, it’s at a high velocity.
“He has done drills since last September to put his body in that position. He’s always had a great feel for spin, but the spin was inconsistent because he’s not ready; he’s not getting his hand out front consistently. There were a lot of things that went into that. It was a long time. He has really put a lot of effort into this, and it has shown.”
Burnes knew he had to make adjustments after a mostly disastrous 2019 season in which he quickly pitched his way out of the starting rotation. Throwing too many fastballs down the middle, he surrendered 11 home runs in 172⁄3 innings over his first four starts, resulting in a shift to relief duty and triggering a season of bouncing up and down from Class AAA San Antonio.
When all was said and done, Burnes had a 1-5 record and 8.82 earned run average in 32 appearances for the Brewers and a 0-1 mark with a 8.46 ERA in eight starts for the Missions. With his confidence level at an all-time low, he reassessed everything he was doing, on and off the field, and embarked on a transformational offseason.
Burnes focused on the mental part of the game by working with a sports psychologist. He also made a physical change, undergoing Lasik surgery that allowed him to pitch without wearing goggles.
And he spent countless hours in the Brewers’ pitching lab in Phoenix, tweaking his delivery and making repertoire changes that have made him an improved pitcher.
“He’s been pretty much unhittable,” Brewers infielder Jedd Gyorko said. “All the hitters have said the same thing. His stuff has been electric. I faced him a couple times last year but he added a couple of wrinkles to his game and it’s really paid off.
“As a team, we’re excited to watch him go out there and pitch.”
The Brewers have projected Burnes to be a staple of their rotation since taking him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft out of St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California. He roared through the farm system and had a sensational major-league debut as a reliever in 2018 (7-0, 2.61 ERA in 30 appearances) before falling apart last year.
With his strong showing in both spring and summer camps, Burnes likely would have seen action in the rotation whether Anderson was sidelined or not. Either way, he appears primed for a breakthrough.
“We were prepared for anything, and obviously that’s kind of what happened,” Hook said. “The ‘anything’ that happened was a blister. I think we had some plans and they may have changed; they may not have. Corbin has pitched extremely well. He has earned an opportunity here early.”