Bigger, stronger Chase Anderson put sagging Brewers on his shoulders with pitching gem

When Chase Anderson walked the first two hitters of the game Saturday afternoon at Miller Park, there was no way to foresee what was about to come from the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander.

“I just flipped the switch somehow, and next thing you know, I was in the eighth inning.”

Throwing a no-hitter, no less.

Arizona’s Nick Ahmed would spoil that date with destiny with a leadoff single up the middle, but there was no denying that Anderson was the man who lifted the sagging Brewers out of a five-game losing streak after a particularly brutal loss the previous evening. The 6-1 victory couldn't have felt any better or been more timely.

RELATED: Anderson's gem puts end to losing streak

HAUDRICOURT: Greinke trade was mother of many other deals

RELATED: This week in MLB

RELATED: Counsell considering moving Jonathan Villar from leadoff spot

BOX SCORE: Brewers 6, Diamondbacks 1

MLB: Live scoreboard, box scores, standings, schedules

Anderson was lifted after that lone hit, having thrown a career-high 114 pitches. He issued only one other walk after those first two and finished with 11 strikeouts, a personal high.

Anderson flipped that switch in the first inning by striking out Paul Goldschmidt and Jake Lamb, Arizona’s most dangerous hitters. No one came close to a hit until Ahmed grounded his worm-burner up the middle on a 2-0 cutter.

“That was pretty impressive,” manager Craig Counsell said of Anderson’s early about-face. “He got it together. I thought (catcher) Jett (Bandy) did a good job of getting him through that first inning.”

To hear Bandy tell it, Anderson made it easy on him, not vice versa.

“It was like a video game,” said Bandy, who delivered the big offensive blow with a three-run double in the fourth off Zack Greinke. “I was just putting down fingers and he was throwing it. He did a great job. He found a groove and had all four of (his pitches) working.”

Anderson reached 97 mph with his fastball in that inning, a new stratosphere for him. After averaging just over 91 mph with his heater last year, Anderson is at 92.6 mph this season, which has made a difference.

Anderson is throwing harder because he put on 10 pounds of muscle over the off-season with dedicated workouts in his hometown of McKinney, Texas, at Michael Johnson Performance, operated by the former Olympic gold-medal sprinter.

“I’m stronger this year,” he said. “I’ve been able to maintain my velocity and not dip into the 80s (later in the game). To be able to throw it past guys is nice, too.”

Anderson admitted there was some extra adrenaline facing his former club as well.

“The team that traded you away, you always have a little bit of a chip on your shoulder,” he said. “You want to make them second-guess that trade. I’m glad to be a Brewer and it’s fun to pitch against those guys.”

“We know there’s more velocity than when he was with us,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo acknowledged. “You’ve got to give him some credit. Our team, offensively, is very capable. When you shut us down the way he did, he’s doing a lot right.”

Anderson was at 111 pitches entering the eighth inning, leaving doubt as to whether he’d get a chance to finish the no-hitter if he kept it intact. Assuming Anderson didn’t issue more walks, Counsell thought there was a chance.

“There was going to be a lot of conversation at that point,” Counsell said. “I still thought there was a path to it. I was hoping he’d get through the eighth, and I’d have a tough decision.”

Had it got to that point, Anderson left no doubt as to what his stance would be.

“Obviously, I’d like to finish and get the no-hitter and shutout,” he said. “I could throw 150 pitches. I didn’t care. I wanted to get the no-hitter. ‘Couns’ didn’t talk to me at all. He let me do my thing.”

Anderson was not destined to join Juan Nieves and make it a two-man no-hit club in Brewers history. But he did deliver a huge performance on a day when his club needed it badly.

“We did,” Counsell said. “You need somebody to take charge of it. Chase took charge of that today.”

Alec Lewis of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this story.