How good has Harrison been? His 10-start ERA is better than '08 Sabathia's
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MILWAUKEE – Eighteen summers after CC Sabathia arrived in Milwaukee and electrified the city, another lefty is making a similarly good first impression.
Kyle Harrison hasn't racked up nearly as many innings as Sabathia gave the Brewers after arriving just ahead of the 2008 All-Star break, but he has been just as stingy. With six scoreless innings in Tuesday’s 6-0 win over the Cardinals at American Family Field, Harrison lowered his ERA to 1.57 – best in franchise history through a pitcher's first 10 starts.
Harrison edged out Sabathia, who delivered a 1.59 ERA in his first 10 Brewers starts following a franchise-altering trade from Cleveland to Milwaukee. By then, Sabathia was already a workhorse, with 79 innings and five complete games – including a pair of shutouts – already in the books before he made his 11th Brewers start.
Harrison, working in what Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook calls the “drag race” era of starting pitching, has logged 51 2/3 innings so far since arriving in a trade with Boston just as Spring Training was getting underway. But they have been quality innings.
Harrison’s ERA ranks third among Major Leaguers who have pitched at least 50 innings. His 4.7% barrel rate, per Statcast, ranks seventh. His 10.63 strikeouts per nine innings and 22.8 strikeout-to-walk percentage are in the top 10. His 29.6% strikeout rate is seventh. His .206 opponents’ average and 1.03 WHIP are in the top 20.
Harrison had help Tuesday from one of the players who arrived with Harrison in the February trade that Boston might like to take back. David Hamilton started at shortstop and provided a pair of defensive gems, ranging to his backhand to rob José Fermín of a hit in the fourth inning, then making a leaping grab of Bryan Torres’ would-be blooper in the fifth.
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With those hits taken away, Harrison worked six scoreless innings on four hits, with no walks and two strikeouts. He worked with a lead after Jake Bauers homered leading off the fourth inning, and he had a big cushion after William Contreras hit a two-run double and Garrett Mitchell smashed a three-run home run in Milwaukee’s five-run fifth.
The Brewers improved to 8-2 with Harrison on the mound and secured a series win over the Cardinals.