The Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday were left still waiting for Corbin Burnes to show his Cy Young-level stuff over a full major league outing.
Burnes shook off a sluggish start to get through his last three innings in 35 pitches with one run allowed, but much of the damage was done early as Arizona trailed the Washington Nationals 4-3 upon his exit. He would take the loss with a 5-4 final.
“It wasn’t fun, that’s for sure,” Burnes said. “Just didn’t command the baseball and hurt myself. I think we put six guys on with the walks and hit by pitches. It’s kind of amazing we only gave up four.”
Burnes and Washington starter Trevor Williams, a former Arizona State Sun Devil in 2011-13, each went five innings. Burnes’ four earned runs, four walks and three strikeouts were bested on the stat sheet by Williams’ three earned runs, two walks and six strikeouts.
Corbin Burnes’ second outing starts slow out of the gates
Burnes threw nearly 30 pitches in the first inning but managed to give up the fewest runs in a first inning by a Diamondbacks pitcher this series, beating the three runs allowed by each of Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez with his two.
Burnes walked the first batter in five pitches and gave up a first-pitch single to the next. After one full-count strikeout, Washington earned a double on a tough missed catch by Corbin Carroll as well as another walk before a second strikeout also came on a full count.
Carroll, who tripled for the first time this season and scored to begin the game, then saved a run to help undo the prior mishap with a throw from right field to beat Nathaniel Lowe, who was running from first base.
The second inning was more of the same as Paul DeJong worked a double out of an eight-pitch at-bat to begin the inning, scoring after two flyouts. Washington worked a full-count walk before Burnes got out of the inning.
“I thought the command was a little off early,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “He was missing spots. I think he was battling some frustration.”
The pitcher appeared to move past the early troubles in the third inning, getting the first two outs in just three pitches. However, the next batters both took first with former Diamondback Josh Bell taking a pitch to the knee before Alex Call worked a full-count walk.
Arizona got the third out with another run saved at home on a throw by Geraldo Perdomo, though one run did get in.
He followed up the 12-pitch third inning with a 12-pitch fourth inning, although he hit another batter with a pitch as he smoothed things over.
He was even quicker in the fifth inning, putting away the first two batters with just three pitches before getting his third strikeout to end the inning after allowing a seventh hit.
Burnes finished his second outing with Arizona by going deeper into the game but without as much success, giving up four runs in five innings compared to two runs in 4.1 innings in his team debut at the New York Yankees.
“You have stretches like this every year,” Burnes said. “I went through this last year, went through it in my Cy Young year in ’21 when it just kind of comes and goes. The days you don’t have it, like today, you have to bear down and try to get through it. Unfortunately today, when you put that many guys on, it makes it really tough to pitch deep into games.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
