Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta was asked about his 11-4 record. Here’s what he had to say
Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta was asked about his 11-4 record at the All-Star break and the team’s turnaround since April
LOS ANGELES – Freddy Peralta is the major-league leader in wins among pitchers. His Milwaukee Brewers – somehow, some-seemingly-inexplicable way – aren’t far off the league-lead in that category, either.
The Brewers, baseball’s best team since the tail end of May, pushed their winning streak to a season-high nine games July 19 at Dodger Stadium, outlasting one rally by the Los Angeles Dodgers after another in front of a roaring 53,540 fans for an 8-7 victory.
Peralta picked up the win, becoming the first Brewers pitcher to earn the win in seven or more straight starts since Cal Eldred in 1992 and pushing his big-league leading total to 12 Ws this season.
“For me, it matters,” Peralta said. “If I win, the team wins. I love it. I’ll take all of the wins.”
BOX SCORE: Brewers 8, Dodgers 7
Peralta, though, wasn’t at his best, particularly in a four-run third as the Dodgers bats finally awoke after scoring four runs in their first four games, all losses, to the Brewers this month. Yet that’s what made this win all the more impressive and, ultimately, rewarding for Milwaukee.
“It’s character-revealing,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “A bunch of woodpeckers that keep pecking away until they say the game’s over. Proud of our offense. Proud of Freddy bouncing back the way he did.”
With the win, the Brewers improved to a season-best 18 games over .500 at 58-40 and are just one game back of the best record in baseball. Since May 25, they are an otherworldly 33-12, by far the best mark in MLB.
What Murphy and crew are most proud of is that, as they exemplified once again in a fifth straight win over the celestial-payroll Dodgers, they’re doing it in a Brewers fashion, embodied by the winning contributions received from the likes of Isaac Collins, Andrew Vaughn, Caleb Durbin, Blake Perkins and Joey Ortiz on July 19.
“I just look at the different guys,” Murphy said. “Collins didn’t think he was going to be in the big leagues. Vaughn didn’t think he was going to be in the big leagues. Durbin didn’t think he was going to be in the big leagues. You got guys like that playing every day, and the guys on the bench who didn’t know if they were going to be in the big leagues.
“They’re hungry. Like I’ve said, hungry payers can do some special things.”
Insurance from Andrew Vaughn, Joey Ortiz is critical
After conversing with Brewers hitting coaches about making an adjustment with his hands over the all-star break, Ortiz brought it into action to open the second half. It brought about some quick results.
Ortiz padded the lead in the eighth by turning on an up-and-in cutter from Lou Trivino and disposing it in the home bullpen in left to extend the lead to 8-5.
“You never really expect that because it’s the big leagues, it’s hard,” Ortiz said of the immediate results. “Making an adjustment like that can be difficult, but I’m just trying to keep my head down, keep working.”
It was the third consecutive inning with a solo tally for Milwaukee, each from a bottom-of-the-order bat.
Andrew Vaughn turned a one-run lead into a two-run advantage with a two-out RBI single in the seventh, and the inning prior Caleb Durbin smacked a second RBI double to left in as many days. Vaughn’s 12 RBIs are the most by a Brewers hitter through his first seven games with the team.
“He’s had really good at-bats,” Ortiz said. “He’s come through, knocked in some runs for us. He’s a really good hitter. I saw him in college, so I always knew he was a really good hitter.”
Dodgers don’t go away, but Trevor Megill saves it
Those insurance runs loomed large shortly after.
A solo homer off the bat of Tommy Edman, who had snapped an 0-for-29 skid in his previous at-bat, got the Dodgers back within two against Jared Koenig. The Brewers lefty then gave up another solo shot, this time to Miguel Rojas, and Shohei Ohtani came within feet of tying the ballgame with a third blast of the inning.
The Dodgers answered back in the bottom half three times after the Brewers scored, including a four-run third against Peralta and the two-run eighth.
But Trevor Megill earned his second save of the series by working a clean ninth, retiring Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez on a combined four pitches after winning a seven-pitch battle with Will Smith.
Isaac Collins delivers the response
On the heels of the Dodgers’ four-run rally in the third to draw even, Isaac Collins put Milwaukee back on top with one swing. The rookie outfielder golfed a 1-2 slider from Emmet Sheehan 363 feet to right and just over the short fence.
It would be the final pitch Sheehan would throw on the evening after being tagged for five runs on seven hits and a walk over three-plus innings.
Collins contributed to the next run, walking and coming around to score on Durbin’s RBI double in the sixth.
“You never want to slow down until the game’s over,” Ortiz said of the late offense. “You want to keep hitting all the way through nine (innings). We know the Dodgers are a really good team. Just as you saw, they put up four in one inning. They can punch back at any moment. We’re just trying to stay ahead and take good swings.”
Freddy Peralta struggles in third but recovers
The third inning snowballed on Peralta, but he avoided a Southern California avalanche, the likes of which are only seen at Dodger Stadium but can happen at a moment’s notice.
The good feelings from a four-run top of the third against Sheehan, highlighted by a Perkins triple and William Contreras two-run double, shriveled quickly as Ohtani sent his 33rd home run of the year out 448 feet at 113.9 mph off the bat.
“That would’ve went out at Yellowstone,” Murphy quipped.
It got worse for Peralta. Smith singled, Freeman walked and Hernandez doubled to make it 4-3. Peralta then uncorked a wild pitch to score Freeman from third and tie the game.
“The adjustment I had to make was forget about how many runs they were going to score in the moment and just get out of the inning,” Peralta said. “That’s what I did. That’s what I have to do. I didn’t want to be in that situation but I put myself in that situation, but I was able to get out of it.”
The Brewers’ all-star escaped from there, stranding the go-ahead run on third, by getting a pop out, weak grounder and fly ball. Ultimately he was able to maneuver through five innings, putting himself in position for a seventh straight win.
“That’s maturity,” Murphy said. “Freddy hasn’t had one of those in a while, but what I love about it is the way Freddy responded to it.”
Response. That’s something these Brewers know a thing or two about.
“That’s what’s kind of cool and kind of unique about us,” Murphy said. “While there’s not a bunch of big names, there’s a bunch of guys who are hungry still. They remember the kind of year they had last year, a lot of them, and how it ended. I think they’re still hungry. They’re showing that.”
Brewers highlightsWhat time is the Brewers game today?
Time: 8:10 p.m. CT.
What channel is the Brewers game on today?
TV channel: FanDuel Sports Wisconsin.
Brewers lineupBrice Turang, 2BWilliam Contreras, CJackson Chourio RFChristian Yelich DHAndrew Vaughn 1BIsaac Collins LFCaleb Durbin 3BBlake Perkins CFJoey Ortiz SSDodgers lineupShohei Ohtani DHWill Smith CFreddie Freeman 1BTeoscar Hernandez RFAndy Pages CFMichael Conforto LFTommy Edman 3BHyeseong Kim 2BMiguel Rojas SSBrewers standings
NL Central: Second place, 1 GB of Cubs
NL wild-card: First place, 5.5 games ahead of Giants for a playoff spot
Brewers schedule
Brewers at Dodgers, July 20 3:10 p.m. CT: Milwaukee LHP Jose Quintana (6-3, 3.28) vs. Los Angeles LHP Clayton Kershaw (4-1, 3.38) TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Mariners, July 21 8:40 p.m. CT: Milwaukee RHP Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 2.81) vs. Seattle TBA. TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Mariners, July 22 8:40 p.m. CT: Milwaukee RHP Jacob Misiorowski (4-1, 2.81) vs. Seattle TBA. TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.
Brewers at Mariners, July 23 2:40 p.m. CT: Milwaukee RHP Quinn Priester (8-2, 3.33) vs. Seattle TBA. TV – FanDuel Sports Wisconsin. Radio – AM-620 WTMJ.