Peters solid in first start
Offense absent again in 2-1 loss to Brewers
Dillon Peters’ Pirates debut likely didn’t carry the same weight as some others this year.
He was an under-the-radar acquisition for the Pirates in June, when they purchased him from the Los Angeles Angels. He isn’t a top prospect anymore, and he hasn’t had dazzling numbers while in the majors, but the Pirates saw something they liked.
Since then, Peters, who will turn 29 at the end of the month, has been solid at Class AAA Indianapolis, allowing just two runs in 12 innings of work. On Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers, with an open spot in their rotation, the Pirates called him up, making Peters the 55th player to appear in a game for the team, which ties the franchise record for most players used in a season.
Really, Peters’ outing went as well as could have been expected. He appeared to be on a pitch count, given his lack of work in the minors, so in what turned out to be a 2-1 loss, Peters pitched 4⅔ innings, allowing 1 earned run, 5 hits, 3 walks and 2 strikeouts.
Peters had just one 1-2-3 inning, which came in the second. He was working around traffic on the base paths all afternoon, but he did so pretty smoothly, with only a Christian Yelich double in the third causing him any harm.
“It was good. It was my first major league game since 2020
that I’ve pitched in,” Peters said after the game. “No nerves. Just trying to stay within myself and stay on the same page as [catcher Jacob Stallings]. He’s got a way better plan than I do. Just pounding the zone, trying to stay ahead and get as deep into that game as I could.”
It could be pointed out that there was some hard contact against Peters. Of the 16 batted balls against him, nine were hit with a 90-mph exit velocity or higher. Many of those were hit in the air, but Peters at least held the Brewers within the confines of PNC Park.
All of that is to say that even if Peters didn’t blow anybody away with his first Pirates appearance, it certainly wasn’t his fault that the day ended in a loss.
The offense, which has been poor for most of the year, again was flummoxed by Brewers pitching. The Pirates went hitless in seven of the nine innings of the game. Their only run came in the third, when shortstop Kevin Newman doubled to right field, Peters bunted him over to third and outfielder Ben Gamel ran out an infield single to drive Newman home.
Just four Pirates had a hit, and none of them had multiple base knocks.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise. The Brewers dominated the Pirates this season. This was the final time the teams faced off, so the Pirates’ 2021 record against Milwaukee is 5-14.
That, obviously, is not good, even if it’s understandable given where the teams are in the standings.
“I think they’re probably the best team in the league that nobody’s really talking about,” Stallings said of the Brewers. “They have three of the best starters in the league, and their fourth, fifth and sixth starters are really good, too. It’s really no drop- off with [Adrian] Houser and [Eric] Lauer and those guys. But their lineup is super deep, their bench is super deep — I mean, they’ve got five guys on the bench every night that are really good baseball players. They’re a very complete team and one that’s going to be hard to beat in the playoffs.”
On the bright side, the Pirates got a solid outing from a pitcher who hasn’t had many in the major leagues. It’s unclear what that will mean for Peters’ future, but with righthander Bryse Wilson moving to the injured list to give Peters a look, manager Derek Shelton said they expect Peters to get another start.
If that’s the case, then this was a good first step. Peters peppered the Brewers with changeups, using the pitch 40% of the time Sunday. That’s part of a new approach he’s developed this season. He says he started throwing the pitch more frequently in Class AAA Salt Lake City with the Angels. The ballpark allowed a lot of home runs, and he needed something to keep opponents off-balance.
He’s taken that approach with him to Pittsburgh, and in one outing, it worked pretty well. Now, he’s tasked with keeping it rolling as he gets more chances on the mound.
“Feels great,” Peters said. “Go out there, pound the zone, get as deep into that ballgame as I can, and give them a chance to win. I don’t think I’m going to change anything from a mentality standpoint other than it’s my turn to get the ball and get as far as I can into that game.”