Coming into Friday night\u2019s start against the Blue Jays Peralta had allowed just one earned run across his four previous starts, including Brewers wins against Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Chicago. Those four outings, however, include two where he pitched six innings and two where he was lifted after five. In the two five inning games he still threw 108 and 96 pitches, respectively. Across the four games he struck out 26 batters in 22 innings but also walked 12.<\/p>\n Among pitchers who have thrown at least one inning per team game this season Peralta ranks dead last in the percentage of pitches thrown in the strike zone, coming in below 44% in a season where only one other pitcher is under 46%. \u201cWin the race to two strikes, then try to get hitters to chase\u201d is a common strategy for pitchers but with Peralta opposing hitters seem to recognize an opportunity to get back into the count by taking pitches. Almost 25% of the batters to face Peralta see an 0-2 count but only about one in five strike out on that 0-2 pitch, and about one in six strike out on a 1-2 pitch. Almost 46% of the hitters Peralta takes to an 0-2 count see at least two more balls, in addition to the number of pitches they foul off. In a related note, Peralta has had more plate appearances go seven pitches or more than any other pitcher in the majors this season.<\/p>\n Peralta\u2019s struggles to put opposing hitters away have several effects, some more obvious than others:<\/p>\n \u2022Perhaps most clearly, Peralta\u2019s long plate appearances cost him the ability to work deep into games. While Peralta has avoided complete meltdowns and pitched at least four innings in every start this season, he\u2019s gotten an out in the seventh inning or later just twice and has had four games where he threw over 100 pitches and was lifted without completing six innings. This has impact in both the long and short term as Peralta is typically replaced by pitchers who aren\u2019t as good as he is and these extra innings of work tax the bullpen for future games.<\/p>\n \u2022 There is also evidence to suggest that Peralta\u2019s long innings have an impact on the offense behind him. In 2023 Jay Wigley of Retrosheet<\/a> performed a study and found that players who spend more time in the field during games suffer a penalty at the plate. His study measured time in the field by \u201cfielding events,\u201d but it stands to reason that fielders who stay in the field longer due to extended at bats would see a similar effect.<\/p>\n \u2022 Finally, while it doesn\u2019t necessarily manifest in wins and losses, there\u2019s an aesthetic impact to pitching this way. Plate appearances with extended gaps between balls in play can extend the gaps between action and make games feel slow. The median Peralta start this season has only been two minutes longer than the median Brewers game overall (2:40 to 2:38), but five of the 21 games that have surpassed the three hour mark have been Peralta starts. If Peralta\u2019s games feel more like a slog and less like an event, that makes it harder for the organization to get fans excited to watch him.<\/p>\n
\t\t\tKeep the Shepherd Free<\/p>\n \t\t\tSupport Milwaukee’s locally owned free weekly magazine.<\/p>\n LEARN MORE<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t
While that final effect may seem trivial, there\u2019s a recent comparable to show its potential impact. Blake Snell was the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, his second time as his league\u2019s top pitcher, when he became a free agent following the 2023 season. He was also baseball\u2019s least frequent strike-thrower that season, however, and led all MLB pitchers in walks allowed. Snell had clearly been one of the best pitchers in baseball the prior season, but the market didn\u2019t have much interest in his services: He was still unsigned two weeks before Opening Day and eventually accepted a short term deal from the Giants. Teams don\u2019t publicly disclose why they didn\u2019t pursue or sign a free agent, of course, but it\u2019s not difficult to imagine that Snell\u2019s pitching style made it harder to count on the uptick in fan interest that usually comes with a major signing.<\/p>\n That comparison should be increasingly relevant to Peralta in the year ahead, as he\u2019s likely to become a free agent for the first time following the end of the 2026 season. He\u2019s built an extensive track record of durability<\/a> and effectiveness, and in concept both he and the Brewers have a strong incentive for him to have another big year that could lead to a winning season for the team and a major payday for the player. Peralta\u2019s rise toward contendership, superstardom and a new tax bracket, however, appears to be partially blocked by an approach and style that\u2019s holding him back from maximizing his impact.<\/p>\n \t Kyle Lobner covers the Milwaukee Brewers in the Shepherd Express\u2019 weekly On Deck Circle column. He has written about the Brewers and Minor League Baseball since 2008.<\/p>\n![\"email](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/newsletter-icon.jpg\"){kind=icon}
<\/a>Stay on top of the news of the day
\nSubscribe<\/a> to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee’s latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.<\/p>\n
\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t
<\/p>\n![\"Lobner_Kyle.png\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/1756918456_607_Lobner_Kyle.png\" "\\"Lobner_Kyle.png\\"")
<\/a>
\n\t\t Kyle Lobner<\/a><\/p>\n