Brewers ace Freddy Peralta makes run at NL Cy Young

MILWAUKEE – Brewers manager Pat Murphy doesn’t need to compare any stats to declare that Freddy Peralta is having the best year of his career. The numbers tell an impressive tale, however, especially his 29-inning scoreless streak.

The right-hander from Moca, Dominican Republic, is having the best season of his eight-year career in the majors. Peralta, 29, has been an elite pitcher most of his career. Yet, the two-time All-Star had not had a run like his current one in the majors.

Peralta (16-5, 2.50 ERA) is the Brewers’ first pitcher to win 16 games since Zach Davies won 17 in 2017. Only one pitcher in Brewers history has had a similar scoreless-inning streak. Left-hander Teddy Higuera, one of the greatest Mexican pitchers in MLB history, had a 32-inning scoreless streak for the Brewers in 1987. 

‘Really, really special’

“This is Freddy’s best year,” said Murphy, who is in his second year as Brewers manager. “It’s late in the year. It’s a lot of starts under his belt, but this is his best year. I don’t know numbers wise or anything like that. I’m not watching that stuff. I just know that young man is emerging into something really, really special.”

Peralta, who earned his second All-Star berth this year, hasn’t allowed a run in more than a month. He allowed a run in the fourth inning of a 7-2 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Aug. 5. Nothing but zeroes have followed. 

Peralta returned to the mound in the fifth inning at Truist Park to begin his scoreless streak. He was 4-0 with a 0.32 ERA in August to earn the NL Pitcher of the Month award. Peralta gave up only 11 hits with 12 walks and 34 strikeouts over 28 innings through five starts in August. He then struck out eight over five scoreless innings in his first start of September last Thursday. 

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“It’s just learning the process, learning (from) all the mistakes I have made before and just trusting more in myself and getting better,” he told Brewers beat writers after striking out eight in his last start. “I have more stuff to work with.”

Peralta has dominated hitters while throwing his four-seam fastball 54 percent of the time. He has mixed in his changeup 21 percent of the time, and the curveball 15 percent. He also has kept hitters honest with a slider he uses 9 percent of the time.  

Longtime Brewers ace

Peralta’s ascension shouldn’t be a surprise. He earned his first All-Star bid in 2021.  Peralta finished 10-5 with a career-best 2.81 ERA in 2021, and now he’s on pace to set a new career-best ERA. 

Moreover, he has reached double-digit victory totals in each of the last three seasons and four of the last five. The lone exception was the 2022 season in which he was 4-4 while being limited to only 18 outings and 78 innings because of a right shoulder injury.

Peralta is tied with the Yankees’ Carlos Rodon for the most wins in baseball. His ERA is fourth in the majors and second in the NL behind Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes (1.98).  

Skenes, the Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal and the Houston Astros’ Hunter Brown are the only pitchers in the majors with better ERAs than Peralta’s heading into this week. Peralta and Skenes seem like the favorites to win the NL Cy Young Award. 

If he edges out Skenes, Peralta would be the fourth native of the Dominican to win the Cy Young Award, following three-time winner Pedro Martinez, Bartolo Colon and Sandy Alcantara.

Peralta isn’t satisfied, though. He wants to keep improving.

“It’s part of the journey,” he told Brewers beat writers. “I think I can be better than that, and that’s what I’m trying to do right now.”