Musgrove carries no-hitter into 8th, Padres rip Brewers 7-0

MILWAUKEE -- — Joe Musgrove acknowledged the opportunity to match up with reigning Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes provided some additional motivation Friday night.

Musgrove responded by nearly throwing his second no-hitter in as many seasons as the San Diego Padres bounced back from their toughest loss of the year. Musgrove held Milwaukee hitless for 7 2/3 innings in a 7-0 victory.

“Going up against Burnes is a little extra energy, a little more excitement,” Musgrove said. “We're both throwing the ball really well and he's coming off a Cy Young. It's a chance for me to go out and show my stuff.”

Musgrove, who pitched the only no-hitter in Padres history last season, nearly did it again.

Kolten Wong got the Brewers' only hit with a two-out, eighth-inning double. Wong's drive on a first-pitch cutter took a hop on the warning track and bounced off the right-field wall.

“Probably got a little too much plate,” Musgrove said. “If I could go back, I wouldn't change the pitch. (I'd) just try to throw it in a little more.”

He stayed in the game and retired Pablo Reyes for the final out in the eighth to finish with a career-high 114 pitches. Musgrove (6-0) threw 112 pitches in his no-hitter, a 3-0 victory over the Texas Rangers on April 9, 2021.

Padres manager Bob Melvin indicated he likely would have allowed Musgrove to start the ninth inning with that type of pitch count if the Brewers had remained hitless.

“130 is probably that number you get really uncomfortable with, so that's what I kind of had in my mind, but you never know what the moment's going to be if he gets up to that point," Melvin said.

Craig Stammen retired the side in order in the ninth to complete the shutout.

Musgrove’s latest performance continued his stellar start to the season. Musgrove, who lowered his ERA to 1.64, has gone at least six innings and hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his 10 starts.

The Padres needed another big outing from Musgrove after blowing a 4-1, ninth-inning lead in a 5-4 loss at Milwaukee on Thursday.

Musgrove again delivered.

“To walk off the field losing that game last year stung probably a little bit more than any one this year,” Melvin said. “You know he's on the mound the next day and he's going to take pride in that and probably a little bit more incentive for him.”

While Musgrove remained sharp, Burnes struggled through his worst start of the season.

The Padres scored single runs in each of the first two innings off Burnes (3-3) before breaking the game open with Manny Machado’s three-run homer in the fourth.

“He fouled off a lot of pitches that were out of the zone,” Burnes said. “We threw a slider that was a little more reachable, he was in front of it and managed to sneak it over the wall. He’s a good hitter so you have to find multiple ways to get him out. ”

Burnes allowed eight hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings as his ERA climbed from 1.95 to 2.50. He hadn’t allowed that many runs in a game since also yielding five runs in a 9-5 victory over the Atlanta Braves on July 30. This marked his shortest stint since lower back discomfort caused him to leave after 3 2/3 innings in a 4-2 loss at St. Louis on Sept. 24, 2020.

All the Padres’ runs against Burnes came with two outs.

“I didn’t think he executed a lot of pitches, essentially,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “They did a nice job. When they got a ball to hit, the put a good swing on it and hit it hard.”

San Diego’s victory kept Counsell one victory away from matching Phil Garner’s Brewers franchise record for managerial victories. Counsell owns a 562-500 record. Garner went 563-617 from 1992-99.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: OF Wil Myers went on the 10-day injured list retroactive to June 1 with right knee inflammation. Myers had played in just one game this week while dealing with the injury. “The more he worked, the tougher it felt,” Melvin said. “He just wasn’t going to be able to get through a game.” The Padres recalled OF Brent Rooker from Triple-A El Paso.

Brewers: SS Luis Urías left after three innings due to right thumb discomfort. ... IF Mike Brosseau went on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right ankle. The Brewers recalled RHP Luke Barker, C Alex Jackson and IF/OF Pablo Reyes from Triple-A Nashville, optioned RHP Peter Strzelecki to Nashville and designated C Alex Hall for assignment.

UP NEXT

MacKenzie Gore (3-1, 1.71 ERA) pitches for the Padres and Aaron Ashby (1-3, 2.70) starts for the Brewers in a Saturday matchup of left-handers. Ashby is the nephew of Andy Ashby, who pitched for the Padres from 1993-99 and in 2004.

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