Brewers accomplish a franchise first with consecutive 1-0 shutouts of the Reds

CINCINNATI - What were the chances?

As it turns out, not very good.

By beating the Cincinnati Reds, 1-0, for the second consecutive game on Friday night at Great American Ball Park, the Milwaukee Brewers accomplished a franchise first.

Twice previously they had won two straight games by a 1-0 score.

The first time was July 11 (vs. the Chicago White Sox) and 15 (vs. the New York Yankees), 1971 and the second Aug. 14 and 16, 1992 (both against the Boston Red Sox).

But each time, there was a loss in between.

This time it was a run-scoring single by Victor Caratini that drove in the game's lone tally in the seventh inning, while Corbin Burnes, Elvis Peguero, Joel Payamps and Devin Williams put up zeroes across the board to make it hold up.

The performance followed up Sunday's 1-0 victory over the Reds at American Family Field leading into the all-star break.

"That's cool," said shortstop Willy Adames. "But we've got to put more runs on the board to take a little bit of pressure off the pitchers."

Milwaukee and Cincinnati are now tied atop the National League Central Division standings with identical 50-42 records.

Here are three takeaways from the victory.

Major gut check for Corbin Burnes

The right-hander was cruising right along with two outs in the fifth, having just recorded his 10th strikeout – the first time he'd reached double digits this season – when he had to take a break one pitch into an at-bat against Matt McLain.

Burnes turned, walked to the back of the mound and squatted down. Immediately the team's medical staff, manager Craig Counsell and the infield rushed to his side, and then a bottle of water was quickly shuttled out to him.

A cold, damp towel followed, then after some discussion over several minutes Burnes was allowed to throw a couple warmup pitches.

He then finished off the McLain at-bat by getting him to pop out, ending the fifth.

"I'm not really sure what happened," Burnes said. "I threw the first pitch to McLain, looked back in at Vic and then everything went dizzy and my eyes went cross-eyed. Blinked a couple times hoping it would go away and it didn't. Then it finally started to go away and after a bottle of water and just some time it went away and didn't come up the rest of the game.

"Luckily it was nothing crazy and I could go back out there for the sixth. But scary moment, for sure."

The Reds undoubtedly would have loved Burnes to have taken a seat for the rest of the night. Because when he came back for the sixth he punctuated his performance by striking out Jake Fraley, Elly De La Cruz and Jonathan India to finish with 13 strikeouts in 102 pitches.

"We went in, cooled off some more, drank a bunch of liquids, got some food in me," Burnes said. "It never happened again. They said if it doesn't come back again you're good to go out there and if it happens even the slightest bit they'll come out and get me."

The 13 strikeouts were the most for Burnes in a game since he fanned 14 over eight innings last Sept. 8 in a win over the San Francisco Giants, and just two shy of tying his career high of 15.

"It was awesome," manager Craig Counsell said of the performance.

Counsell and Burnes both noted that the pitch selection was much different this time around against Cincinnati -- instead of being so cutter-heavy (45%), Burnes liberally mixed in his curveball (29%) and changeup (14%).

"It's weird, because this is a lineup that doesn't swing a ton," Burnes said. "Last week they came out and swung the bat so we didn't know what to expect tonight. Coming out we were going to try to fill up the zone and see what happens and again early, they came out swinging.

"It kind of played in our favor a little bit. We spun the ball a little more. The curveball was really good tonight. Lost the cutter there in the middle innings for a little bit but got it back. Overall, the spin was working against an overly aggressive team."

Counsell says the offense needs to pick it up

It's not often that Counsell calls out an area of his team.

But he did in not so many words following the game Friday.

In the midst of a question asked about the bullpen, he quickly veered off into a tangent about a paltry six-hit attack.

"Look, we've got to score more runs," he said. "We left runs out there tonight. That means that we're asking (the pitchers) to be perfect. They were tonight. They did great. But we left a big run-scoring opportunity out there (runners in scoring position with nobody out in the seventh and scored once), and we've done that, really, the last three games against the Reds.

"We'd like to be a little better there to give those guys some room for error."

Facing Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft, it figured as though it might be a big offensive night considering the last time the Brewers saw him in Cincinnati on June 3 they crushed him for nine hits and 10 runs over four innings.

In six innings in this one they managed five hits and the one run (which came with Lucas Sims on the mound).

"I think he's just throwing more strikes, throwing more quality pitches," Counsell said. "We were getting some middle pitches. We were getting some free pitches (last time). We didn't get much of that tonight."

Milwaukee did have a chance to get onto the scoreboard in the third inning when William Contreras singled to left with Joey Wiemer on second.

But Spencer Steer gunned a perfect throw home and Wiemer was out at the plate, reviving memories of Ian Happ and the Chicago Cubs from last week.

"You make the guy make a play," Counsell said. "He makes a great throw and you tip your cap. It's two outs; you absolutely have to go, and that's it. The guy made a great throw. The life of a third-base coach (Jason Lane)."

The back end of the bullpen remains crazy good

In Sunday's shutout, it was Wade Miley starting and going six innings and then Elvis Peguero, Joel Payamps and Devin Williams finishing the game out.

On Friday, it was Burnes for six and then the same bullpen trio finishing the Reds off as Peguero got a couple groundouts and a strikeout, Payamps a couple strikeouts and a flyout and then Williams two more strikeouts and a lineout to record his 21st save.

In the two games it's been 18 up, 18 down by the bullpen.

"They've been so, so good," Counsell said. "Those three guys have been so, so good. They're a big reason we're on this little stretch we're on right now. They've pitched a lot and pitched in tight games every single time."

All told, the foursome combined for a season-high 18 strikeouts while limiting the Reds to only two hits, a new season low.

It's also interesting to note that the Brewers also had a victory on May 31 at Toronto in which their pitchers failed to record a strikeout in nine innings.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers produce franchise first with consecutive 1-0 shutouts of Reds