Peralta’s first MLB start is one for the books
DENVER – It didn’t take long for Freddy Peralta to cement his place in Milwaukee Brewers lore.
Peralta made his major-league debut one to remember Sunday afternoon by striking out 13 Colorado hitters in only 52⁄3 innings, the most strikeouts by a rookie pitcher in franchise history, first game or otherwise.
The Brewers’ offense bounced back from a Saturday shutout to support Peralta in a 7-3 victory over the Rockies at Coors Field, Milwaukee’s third win in the four-game series.
Getting called up from the minors only because starter Chase Anderson became ill Saturday night and couldn’t pitch, Peralta took full advantage and dominated Colorado’s hitters in a venue known for being rough on pitchers. He allowed only one hit, a one-out single by David Dahl in the sixth, before being removed when he got to 98 pitches.
Peralta gave an indication his first start would be special when he struck out five of the first six hitters he faced. In two separate innings, he struck out Nolan Arenado, Carlos Gonzalez and Trevor Story, the Nos. 4-6 hitters in Colorado’s lineup.
The slightly built right-hander surpassed the mark of 12 strikeouts by Steve Woodard over eight innings in his Brewers debut on July 28, 1997, against Toronto. Peralta was only the fifth pitcher since 1908 to strike out at least 13 batters in his major-league debut.
Peralta turned in his gem with his parents, Pedro and Octavia, watching from the stands, seeing him pitch professionally for the first time. They had traveled from the Dominican Republic to watch him pitch Saturday night for nearby Class AAA Colorado Springs but he was scratched from that assignment when Anderson became ill.
The Brewers failed to score in the first inning after Christian Yelich led off with a double, with the next three hitters striking out. But they jumped on Rockies starter Jon Gray for three runs in the second inning.
Tyler Saladino, making his first start since coming up from the minors, doubled in the first run on a booming drive that skipped over the center-field fence. With two down, Yelich stroked an opposite-field hit through the left side to knock in two more runs and make it 3-0.
The Brewers’ lead jumped to 4-0 in the third when Travis Shaw slugged the team’s longest home run of the season, a 452-foot drive to right-center. It grew to 7-0 when Jesus Aguilar smacked a three-run homer in the sixth off reliever Harrison Musgrave.
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
CAIN GETS DAY OFF: Lorenzo Cain was given the day off by manager Craig Counsell, forcing him to come up with a new leadoff hitter. He chose Yelich, who had batted exclusively in the No. 2 hole in his previous 28 games. Counsell then put Aguilar in the two-hole, the first time he batted that high in the order this season.
CLUTCH HITTING MOSTLY ABSENT: The Brewers went 10-for-22 with runners in scoring position in the first two games of the series but have been woeful for the most part in that department. After going 0-for-11 Saturday night in a 4-0 shutout, they dropped to a .214 batting average with RISP for the season, third-worst mark in the majors entering Sunday. Only Texas (.205) and the Chicago White Sox (.211) were worse in the clutch. The Brewers struggled again in that department, going 3-for-17.
QUICK RETURN FOR LOPEZ: Reliever Jorge Lopez, who was sent down to Colorado Springs on Thursday, was recalled Saturday night without ever throwing a pitch for the Sky Sox. Lopez traveled to Denver with the Brewers and rejoined Colorado Springs when the team returned home Saturday. Lopez was only there a few hours before reporting back to the Brewers. He did not have to stay down the requisite 10 days because Chase Anderson went on the DL.
MAMA’S BOYS: The Brewers boosted their record on Mother’s Day to 33-19 (.635), best in the majors. They have some work to do on Father’s Day, however. Their 19-32 record (.373) on that day is the second-worst in the majors behind Texas (21-38, .356).
IT WAS A DAY FOR Ks: While Peralta was putting himself in the Brewers’ record book with his strikeout total, Milwaukee’s hitters were doing some major whiffing of their own. Gray struck out 10 in 51⁄3 innings, and the Brewers finished with 15 strikeouts, including four by Ryan Braun.
RECORD
This year: 24-17 Last year: 23-18
COMING UP
Monday: Brewers at Diamondbacks, 8:40 p.m. Milwaukee RHP Junior Guerra (2-3, 3.09) vs. Arizona LHP Patrick Corbin (4-0, 2.12). TV: FS Wisconsin. Radio: AM-620.