Flaherty's 7th wins lifts Cards as Burnes walks 1st batter

MILWAUKEE (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jack 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 (7-0) allowed four hits in six innings, struck out six and walked two to help the Cardinals win a three-game series that featured dominant starting pitching.

Burnes (2-3) returned from the injured list after a positive test for coronavirus, which he said left him asymptomatic. He opted against getting vaccinated for what he said were personal reasons.

In his first appearance since April 26, Burnes struck out nine among his first 14 outs, giving him 58 strikeouts and no walks this year before he walked Tommy Edman with two outs in the fifth.

After starting Edman with a curveball for a called strike, Burnes threw a changeup and three straight cutters, the last with a 3-1 count that sailed high.

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.

Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees extended his active streak to 56 strikeouts on Wednesday at Tampa Bay. Cole has walked three this season.

Burnes allowed one run and five hits in five innings with nine strikeouts. Although Burnes has a 1.57 ERA, the Brewers have gone 2-4 in his six starts — scoring a total of one run in the four losses.

Alex Reyes remained perfect in 11 save chances by striking out Tyrone Taylor to strand two runners. The Brewers went 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Nolan Arenado’s two-out single in the first scored Edman. That marked the...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Flaherty-s-7th-wins-lifts-Cards-as-Burnes-walks-16175645.php