Flaherty finds rare success in Milwaukee, now 7-0
MILWAUKEE — St. Louis Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty put his frustrating history at Milwaukee’s American Family Field behind him.
These days, Flaherty is finding a way to win just about anywhere.
Flaherty became the major leagues’ first seven-game winner this year with a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday as the Brewers’ Corbin Burnes extended his streak to 58 consecutive strikeouts before his first walk.
Flaherty had been 0-3 with a 7.07 ERA at the ballpark.
“You’ve got to find a way to push that to the side and focus on staying present,” Flaherty said. “All those things happened in the past.”
Flaherty (7-0) allowed 4 hits, struck out 6 and walked 2 to help the Cardinals win a three-game series that featured dominant starting pitching. Nolan Arenado’s first-inning RBI single that put St. Louis ahead for good marked the only time in this series that either team scored before the sixth inning.
Heading into Thursday’s game, Flaherty had enjoyed the most run support of any big league pitcher.
“It’s two really, really good pitchers in this league going at each other,” Cardinals Manager Mike Shildt said. “Jack’s not going to back down from anybody. He embraces the competition and went out and did his part and made some big pitches.”
In his first appearance since April 26, Burnes (2-3) struck out nine among his first 14 outs before walking Tommy Edman with two outs in the fifth.
After starting Edman with a curveball for a called strike, Burnes threw a changeup and three consec- utive cutters, the last a 3-1 pitch that sailed high.
“To go that long without one is pretty special,” Burnes said. “Now I guess I’ve got to start over.”
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Burnes’ 58 strikeouts without a walk were the most by a major league pitcher within the same season since at least 1893, when the mound moved to its current distance from the plate of 60 feet, 6 inches.
NATIONALS 5, PHILLIES 1 Josh Bell and Kyle Schwarber hit two-run home runs in the first inning and Washington beat Philadelphia to end a four-game slide.
GIANTS 3, PIRATES 1 Anthony DeSclafani allowed one hit over five scoreless innings and Steven Duggar hit his first home run in nearly two years to lead San Francisco past Pittsburgh.
ROCKIES 13, REDS 8 Josh Fuentes homered for the second consecutive game to back seven shutout innings from Chi Chi Gonzalez, and Colorado held on for a victory over Cincinnati.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
RAYS 9, YANKEES 1 Rich Hill joined Cy Young and Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers to strike out nine against the Yankees at age 41 or older, and Tampa Bay beat New York to avoid getting swept in a three-game series.
WHITE SOX 4, TWINS 2 Tim Anderson and Jake Lamb homered, Billy Hamilton made a leaping catch at the wall to end a bases-loaded threat Chicago beat Minnesota for its sixth consecutive win.
TIGERS 4, ROYALS 3 Michael Fulmer shut down Kansas City’s ninth-inning rally for his second save, and Detroit extended the Royals’ losing streak to 11 games.
RED SOX 8, ATHLETICS 1 Xander Bogaerts and Bobby Dalbec each hit a two-run home run, and Boston avoided a sweep with a win over the Oakland.
ASTROS 4, RANGERS 3 (11) Myles Straw scored on a wild pitch in the 11th inning to give Houston a victory over Texas.
INTERLEAGUE
BLUE JAYS 8, BRAVES 4 Bo Bichette hit a go-ahead, two-run double in the ninth inning and Toronto rallied to beat Atlanta and sweep six games from the Braves this season. Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. left in the seventh inning after jamming his left ankle. X-rays were negative and he has not been ruled out of the Braves’ game at Milwaukee tonight.