MILWAUKEE – Milwaukee Brewers righty Freddy Peralta couldn’t help but pump his fist as he walked off the mound Wednesday night at American Family Field.
He just unleashed his 105th – and final – pitch of the night, an 88 MPH changeup right down the middle that Heliot Ramos, after working Peralta full on four fastballs and a slider, never caught up to and left a pair of runners stranded.
It was, for Peralta, the perfect pitch, the perfect result at the perfect moment, and a perfect way to cap off a third straight dazzling effort from the Brewers ace, who allowed just a pair of hits and struck out over six scoreless frames as Milwaukee avoided a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Freddy Peralta, Nasty 88mph Changeup…and is Fired up. 👌
8th K pic.twitter.com/6W5o5IJrQR
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 29, 2024
Freddy Peralta Stays Hot for Brewers
“It was a very exciting moment for me,” Peralta said. “I had a great feeling on that pitch. (Brewers catcher William) Contreras gave me the same pitch that I was thinking and that’s why I think I threw it with the conviction I (did). It was a big moment in the game.”
Wednesday marked the first time Peralta has held opponents scoreless in back-to-back starts this season and he’s allowed just one over his last three.
“It was great and much needed,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
Cool Off After Hot Start
The Brewers have been waiting for this version of Freddy Peralta ever since pitchers and catchers stepped onto the sun-drenched grass of West Phoenix for the first bullpen sessions of spring training. He’d moved into the No. 1 role by default heading into the season after Brandon Woodruff’s 2024 plans were wiped out by shoulder surgery last September and staff ace Corbin Burnes was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles in the weeks before camp opened.
After Murphy named Peralta the Brewers’ Opening Day starter, he delivered with an eight-strikeout performance against the New York Mets and held a 1.90 ERA through his first four starts, looking every bit the part of a staff ace.
From there, though, things just seemed to stop clicking. Over his next 20 starts, Peralta went 5-7 with a 4.60 ERA. While he struck out 126 batters, he also gave up 19 home runs and struggled at times to give Milwaukee the innings it desperately needed while trying to navigate an almost ridiculous number of injuries to its pitching staff.
At the same time, though, Peralta still took the ball every five days and he leads the staff with 11 quality starts. He hasn’t missed a single start this season – Thursday was his 27th – and even if the results weren’t always there, his dependability alone has been invaluable in a season that has seen 17 different pitchers start a game.
History Repeats Itself
Peralta put together a similar run last season when he compiled a 2.81 ERA in his final 13 starts. He hinted for weeks that a similar surge felt just around the corner and he was close to unlocking whatever small adjustments were necessary to make it possible. Now it looks like he’s doing just that.
“He’s been through this before,” Murphy said. “He’s very motivated, he’s very hungry and now he’s showing why the organization had that much faith in him.” Murphy added, “He’s getting better. He’s eliminating some of the things he’s done in the past that’s gotten him in trouble and he’s starting to believe again in his fastball and I think he’s coming into his own.”
Around the Horn
Rhys Hoskins’ hot bat has cooled off considerably of late. The veteran slugger went 0-for-4 Thursday with a pair of strikeouts and has just three hits in his last 37 at-bats. … Outfielder Blake Perkins went 2-for-3 Wednesday and is 17-for-48 (.354) with three doubles and nine RBIs over his last 18 games. … Right-handed reliever Devin Williams returned to the mound for the first time in nearly a week and worked a scoreless ninth inning to earn his sixth save of the season. Williams had been dealing with soreness in his left shoulder and still isn’t 100 percent, Murphy said.
Up Next
The Brewers and Giants wrap up their three-game series Thursday afternoon. RHP Aaron Civale (4-8, 4.84 ERA) gets the start for Milwaukee while San Francisco turns to RHP Hayden Birdsong (3-3, 4.57).
Photo Credit: © Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports
