In his first two starts Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes could have sued for non-support, he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in his opening start, only to see his counterpart do likewise.
Wednesday afternoon at American Family Field against the Chicago Cubs was another matter as the Brewers put up seven runs in the first six innings, capped off by a two-RBI single by Burnes himself. Helping his own cause gave manager Craig Counsell the luxury to turn to his bullpen to complete Milwaukee's 7-0 whitewash. For the day Burnes allowed two hits over six innings striking out 10. Burnes also became the first pitcher in modern MLB history to record 30 strikeouts against zero walks in his first three starts. Safe to say Burnes is the early National League Cy Young front-runner. Featuring a cut-fastball running at 97-98 MPH along with a filthy changeup, Burnes induced Cub batters to whiff on 19 of 40 swings. Burnes made Javier Báez look stupid with a complete diet of cut fastballs in his two at-bats. On the young season Báez has struck out in more than 40 percent of his at-bats, this week he also threw a ball that would had landed in Waukesha if not for the protective netting. Despite a team batting average that came into today hitting .199, the Brewers have kept their heads above water with a starting staff that has gone eight consecutive games allowing one run or less over five or more innings, a first in franchise history. Pitching mastery continued on the South Side of Chicago hours later as North Carolina State alum and former No. 3 overall pick Carlos Rodón no-hit Cleveland 8-0. Already the second no-hitter of the season, Rodón carried a perfect game into the ninth inning before he hit Roberto Perez on the foot with an off-speed pitch. Any wonder why MLB considers moving the pitching mound back?