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MILWAUKEE — Andrew McCutchen wasn’t in the Brewers’ starting lineup on Friday night, but he was looking forward to being a spectator.
“This kind of matchup between these kinds of guys? With six games left?” McCutchen said of the Corbin Burnes vs. Sandy Alcantara battle to come, pitting the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner against his presumptive successor. “You don’t see that every day.”
Three hours before the first pitch, McCutchen liked the Brewers’ chances behind Burnes.
“He knows we need to win it,” McCutchen said.
Burnes did his part. Brewers hitters did just enough.
Milwaukee manufactured a run against Alcantara in the sixth inning to settle a pitchers’ duel that absolutely lived up to the hype, with Burnes’ eight scoreless innings leading the way to a 1-0 win over the Marlins at American Family Field to keep the Brewers within striking distance of a playoff spot.
After scattering four singles and holding Miami scoreless with no walks and seven strikeouts, Burnes has time to make one more start in the regular season. The Brewers hope it’s a meaningful one. The Brewers ended Friday where they began: one-half game back of the Phillies in the chase for the NL’s third Wild Card, though it’s effectively 1 1/2 games behind because the Phils won the head-to-head season series and hold the tiebreaker.
Miami loaded the bases in the ninth, but Devin Williams fanned Jesús Sánchez to seal the win.
