PHOENIX \u2014 Corbin Burnes delivered his best start since signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks in\u00a0Saturday\u2019s 3-0 win\u00a0against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the improvement of his signature pitch was a catalyst.<\/p>\n
Burnes blanked the Dodgers through seven innings, allowing only five singles with two walks. He struck out five hitters, including back-to-back Ks to strand a pair of runners in the fourth inning.<\/p>\n
Burnes said he thought this was the best he\u2019s felt on the mound this year. He pointed to his outing against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 24, when he dominated for four innings before fatigue set in.<\/p>\n
Burnes missed his last start due to right shoulder inflammation, a dead arm period he explained happens during spring training from time to time.\u00a0In the downtime, Burnes got to work with pitching coach Brian Kaplan on his mechanics.<\/p>\n
With a fresh arm, Burnes said his signature cutter was better on Saturdaya night than it had been for years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a couple years since I\u2019ve been able to feel like that,\u201d Burnes said. \u201cI think that was a good sign. That\u2019s something that myself and Kap have been working on a lot the last month, trying to figure out what\u2019s not making it cut. Tonight was cutting.\u201d<\/p>\n