:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69415212/1322175294.0.jpg)
With a chance to match their high-water mark for games above .500 during the 2021 season on Sunday, the Milwaukee Brewers sent Corbin Burnes to the mound, and he did not disappoint. After Freddy Peralta took a no-hit bid deep into his start against the Diamondbacks, Burnes made the opposition look similarly helpless, at least the first time through the order. Corbin retired the first 10 batters he faced — 7 via punchout — before allowing a single to Ketel Marte in the fourth inning.
Burnes would allow a total of four hits across 7.0 innings in this one, each of them harmless singles. Christian Walker singled with two outs in the fourth to put Marte in scoring position, the only time Arizona would put someone within reach of crossing the plate against Corbin. Marte singled again with two outs in the sixth, and David Peralta hit a base knock with two outs in the seventh. Burnes walked zero and punched out 13 — tying a career-high — while racking up 106 pitches.
The Brewers were no offensive juggernaut in this game, but they did just enough to win. Milwaukee similarly went down in order during their first time through the lineup, not recording their first hit until a Luis Urias single leading off the fourth. Milwaukee eventually loaded the bases in that inning, but couldn’t push anything across. The first big blow came in the fifth inning, when Daniel Robertson cranked a one-out solo home run to make it 1-0. Insurance came in the sixth, as Tyron Taylor blasted a solo bomb of his own with two outs to give the Brewers a 2-0 advantage.
After Burnes’ masterful outing, Devin Williams worked around a leadoff double by old friend Stephen Vogt to pitch a scoreless eighth. With Josh Hader unavailable in this game, Brad Boxberger closed things out in the ninth, working around a leadoff single. The win improved the Brewers to 33-26 on the season, matching their early total of seven games over .500 and putting them into a tie for first place in the NL Central with the Cubs. With a 9-1 record over their last 10 games, the Brewers will take Monday off before heading to Cincinnati for a three-game series that starts on Tuesday night.