With New York Mets starter Max Scherzer set to miss the next 6-to-8 weeks with an oblique injury, Milwaukee Brewers starter Corbin Burnes has a firm grip as the betting favorite for the National League Cy Young Award.
With a league-leading 62 strikeouts and a 2.26 ERA over his first eight starts, Burnes is now +350 to win the award at PointsBet, ahead of Carlos Rodon (+800) as the only other player with single-digit odds.
Burnes is down from his Opening Day number of +550. He was +700 prior to Scherzer's injury.
Scherzer was still the favorite at +600 before his start on Wednesday night. Scherzer left with the trainer after 5 2/3 innings, having allowed one earned run with four strikeouts.
The Mets starter is now 8th on the oddsboard at +2500, tied with Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler.
Behind Burnes and Rodon is Miami Marlins right-hander Pablo Lopez (+1200) and Dodgers righty Walker Buehler (+1300). Max Fried (+1800), Joe Musgrove (+2000) and Brandon Woodruff (+2200) fill in the gap between Burnes and Scherzer.
Scherzer joins teammates Jacob deGrom (+7000) and Tylor Megill (+6000) on the IL.
Burnes is the reigning Cy Young winner having edged out Wheeler a year ago. Scherzer finished third in the voting, but still received six first-place votes. Buerhler was fourth with Woodruff fifth.
Burnes winning in consecutive years wouldn't actually be all that rare in the National League. deGrom went back-to-back in 2018-2019 and Scherzer won it in the two years before that. Clayton Kershaw won the award in both 2013 and 2014. Tim Lincecum went back-to-back in 2008 and 2009. And, of course, Randy Johnson won four in a row from 1999-2002.
