Tarnished gems
Brewers have wasted strong starting pitching so far
ST. LOUIS – One week into the 2021 season, one thing can be said without equivocation about the Milwaukee Brewers.
In going 3-4, they have wasted some stellar starting pitching.
Over those first seven games, Brewers starting pitchers allowed just one hit a remarkable four times, including each of the last three games. The team's record in those four games? 2-2.
If starting pitchers were allowed to sue over lack of run support from their teammates, lawyers would be beating down the door to give their business cards to Corbin Burnes. The 26-year-old right-hander has allowed only one hit in each of his starts, and just one run total while issuing no walks with 20 strikeouts over 121⁄3 innings.
The Brewers have supported Burnes with one measly run, however, which is why he has a 0-1 record despite a 0.73 ERA, 0.162 WHIP and .051 opponents batting average.
Burnes’ latest wasted gem came Thursday in a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Despite having what he called an “iffy” cutter in that outing, Burnes allowed a leadoff triple to Tommy Edman, retired the next nine hitters, hit Matt Carpenter on the back foot with a cutter, then retired nine more in a row to cap six shutout innings.
Burnes exited with a 1-0 lead, but the Cardinals tied the game against Eric Yardley in the seventh inning, then delivered the decisive blow with Nolan Arenado’s two-run home run off Drew Rasmussen in the eighth.
Asked if it was frustrating to have no personal or team reward for putting together the best back-to-back starts of any major-league pitcher, Burnes said, “That’s baseball. We had two good guys matched up against me in (Minnesota’s José) Berríos and (St. Louis veteran Adam) Wainwright.
“When you’re facing some of the better pitchers in the league, all it takes is one big hit and you try to get them out of the game early. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the big hit. But the offense is there and it’s coming along. There’s no doubt in my mind.
“We all want to prepare each week and go out and give the best we’ve got.”
In that regard, it certainly was a strong first week for the starting rotation, which compiled a 2.35 ERA while posting a deceiving 1-3 won-lost record. Brewers starters have a 0.704 WHIP, .143 opponents batting average and .521 OPS.
The bullpen has not been as solid, posting a 4.74 ERA and 1.541 WHIP over 242⁄3 innings.
“I feel like our starters have done really, really well the first two series,” manager Craig Counsell said Thursday before Burnes went out and delivered once again. “It’s going to be tough to top the rest of the season. In fact, we won’t.
“Our starters have done a really nice job, and whenever those guys do a nice job, that puts the bullpen in position to do a nice job. It’s related and connected, and I think that’s why we think our pitching can be very effective.”
Brandon Woodruff scuffled with his command in his opening day start against Minnesota, allowing six hits, two walks and three runs over four innings in a game the Brewers eventually won in 10 innings.
But he was absolutely brilliant the next time out in Chicago, allowing one hit, no runs and no walks with eight strikeouts over seven innings in yet another game won in the 10th.
Of the 1-2 punch of Woodruff and Burnes atop the rotation, Counsell said, “I think they both want to perform and establish themselves to be the guys who are thought of around the league as the guys, you know? So, I think that’s probably what’s going on right now for them still.
“It’s fun watching them back to back, and when a guy puts on a great performance, trying to match it or keep up with him or uphold the standards that they’ve created for themselves. That’s a great thing.”
With such valuable arms, the top priority is to keep them healthy, and never more so than in 2021 as major-league staffs go back to a full 162-game schedule after a pandemic-shortened 60-game season. Managers and pitching coaches are worried about how starters will handle making more than 30 starts, as they normally would in a season, because of the drastic increase in innings pitched from a year ago.
Accordingly, Counsell has been careful with his starters’ pitch counts over the first week. Only Freddy Peralta was allowed to reach the 90-pitch level (91) and that was over just five innings of his start against the Cubs. Woodruff was pulled after only 74 pitches against the Cubs, and Burnes got the hook after 86 pitches against the Cardinals.
Both pitchers indicated to Counsell they were fatiguing a bit, and that was all he needed to hear.
“We’re at Game 7 of 162, of possibly 30 more starts,” Counsell said. “We can’t get behind (in health) now. This is just not the time to push. The same goes for the guys in the bullpen. We can’t push them either right now.
“This is what we have to do. We have to play the long game here. Every baseball season requires that, but this year probably as much as any. We’re pitching really well. We’re going to score more (runs). I’m excited that our pitching is off to this start.
“This is what we hoped for; this is what we thought we could do off the mound. To be able to do that right off the bat is really exciting.”