“That was our big offensive chance,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “We’ve got a good pitcher, great pitcher on the mound, but he was at 100 pitches and we’d made him really work that inning. We’ve got our 2-3 hitters up, and he made some good pitches.”

By then, Bieber was at 103 pitches and interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr. decided that was enough It was the first time Bieber didn’t go at least six innings this season.

“I had three pretty good innings and was eyeing going deep into the ballgame and then the fourth and fifth I had to work a little bit more than I would have liked,” Bieber said. “But that’s what happens when you walk a guy and then give up a couple hits in a row.”

It’s never a bad day to join a list with three Hall of Famers.

The 25-year-old Bieber has recorded at least eight strikeouts in his first nine starts, matching Indians Hall of Famer Bob Feller’s club mark (1946) to start a season. It’s also the majors’ longest run to start a season since Pedro Martinez did it nine times to start 1999.

Randy Johnson holds the major league record with 15 straight games of eight strikeouts or more to open 2000.

When Brewers closer Josh Hader allowed his first hit Saturday night, it ended his major league record of 12 straight hitless appearances to start the season. Hader held opponents without a hit for 35 at-bats, tying the record for the most to open a season with Hal Newhouser (1942) and Brad Clontz (1998).