Corbin Burnes ends robust 2022 season in Brewers’ finale

MILWAUKEE — This wasn’t the ending the Brewers envisioned after they gathered in Phoenix within the second week of March. As a substitute of prepping for the postseason, they packed up lockers at American Household Subject on Wednesday and suffered one final blown save in a 4-2 loss to the D-backs within the season finale.

As a substitute of Devin Williams, it was Trevor Gott pitching the ninth inning and absorbing Milwaukee’s sixteenth blown save for the reason that Commerce Deadline. No staff in baseball had extra late-inning stumbles over the previous two months, however the Brewers — eradicated from postseason competition on Monday evening and enjoying the primary inconsequential video games on this ballpark in seven years — opted to not danger an damage to their nearer after Williams set profession highs for appearances (65) and innings (60 2/3).

“If we come again in subsequent 12 months with the identical staff,” right-hander Corbin Burnes stated on the finish of a bittersweet day, “I believe we’ve got a greater outcome.”

Burnes would have relatively been resting up for a postseason begin, however he settled for changing into the primary Brewers pitcher in a decade to high 200 innings, as he completed a wonderful follow-up to his Nationwide League Cy Younger Award-winning season a 12 months in the past. He had a 2.94 ERA in 202 innings whereas changing into the primary participant in Milwaukee’s Main League historical past to steer his league in strikeouts. Burnes fanned 243, together with 5 D-backs in three good innings on Wednesday.

Most essential to him, Burnes made each begin. He was one among solely 4 pitchers in MLB to start out 33 video games this season. He was one among eight pitchers in MLB to high 200 innings, and the primary Brewers hurler to take action since Yovani Gallardo in 2012.

“I believe each beginning pitcher, that’s a normal that they actually wish to attempt to obtain,” supervisor Craig Counsell stated. “I believe it represents a variety of issues. It represents consistency. It represents availability. The time period ‘workhorse,’ I don’t know precisely what which means, however it means you had been out there. In case you’ve thrown 200 innings, you’ve finished loads to assist different individuals in your staff. You additionally need to pitch very well to get to that quantity.”

Burnes led the Brewers in innings, strikeouts and fWAR (4.6), placing him in a tie with shortstop Willy Adames for the very best worth on the staff. Williams completed the 12 months with the very best ERA among the many staff’s regulars at 1.93. Brad Boxberger led the way in which with 70 appearances out of the bullpen. Christian Yelich led the staff with 154 hits, Hunter Renfroe had the very best OPS among the many staff’s qualifiers at .807 and Rowdy Tellez had 35 dwelling runs, together with a solo shot within the eighth inning on Wednesday that briefly gave Milwaukee a 2-1 lead.

“It is a robust 12 months with us not making the playoffs, particularly after doing it 4 years in a row, so lots of people are disenchanted with how we performed,” Tellez stated. “However personally, for me, an enormous focus was simply staying wholesome and being out there to play each single day. I all the time stated if I acquired a chance, I believe I’d be capable of do form of what I did.”

As a staff, the Brewers had larger expectations this 12 months, which was pure as they introduced again final 12 months’s 95-win staff largely intact, coming off a fourth consecutive postseason look. That streak started in 2018, after they acquired to Recreation 7 of the NL Championship Sequence towards the Dodgers. They’re 1-6 in postseason video games since then.

“Stress is a privilege,” Tellez stated. “We’re a staff that got here by means of this with a bullseye on our again. We let ourselves down, however we’ll be again subsequent 12 months. There’s all the time the 12 months after, and I believe in the long term, we’ll have a extremely good staff.”

Counsell informed gamers that that they had an excellent staff this 12 months. This marked the fifteenth time for the reason that franchise’s founding in 1969 that the staff gained a minimum of 86 video games, together with in every of the previous 5 full MLB seasons.

“That variety of wins has most likely gained the World Sequence,” Counsell stated – and he was proper, although it hasn’t occurred for the reason that 83-win Cardinals in 2006. “Monday was a disappointing day, as a result of it informed us that we weren’t going to attain the aim that we set out for ourselves. However 86 wins is an efficient baseball staff. Which means good issues transferring ahead, is what I’d inform you.”

It simply wasn’t the ending they envisioned.

“The final day of the 12 months isn’t an excellent one, except you’re lifting up the trophy on the World Sequence,” Burnes stated.