Brewers veteran right-hander Freddy Peralta stared down the Kid Rockies Monday night. It was not a fair fight.
Peralta dominated with a capital D, tying a career-high with 13 strikeouts over seven innings in Milwaukee’s 12-1 cruiser at American Family Field. Peralta allowed just one hit, didn’t walk a batter, and set down the final 20 hitters he faced. He threw 31 swing-and-miss pitches. In other words, he was close to perfect.
Peralta’s lone mistake was giving up a solo homer to rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar in the first inning. After that, Peralta was untouchable.
“We just couldn’t get the barrel to the ball enough times tonight,” manager Bud Black told AT&T SportsNet. “Guys were frustrated, especially the younger fellas. You saw the looks on their faces. They were exasperated. But this is baptism under fire for these guys against major league pitching. Peralta was on tonight. It was really good stuff.”
It should come as no surprise that the Rockies were helpless against a veteran pitcher who was on his game. They entered Monday night with a team strikeout rate of 24.9%, the third-highest in the majors behind the Twins (27.2%) and Mariners (26.3%).
Rockies rookies were particularly vulnerable to Peralta’s rising, 95-mph four-seam fastball. Add in the occasional wicked slider and back-bending curve and the rookies’ heads were spinning. Peralta struck out Nolan Jones twice, Elehuris Montero twice, Brenton Doyle twice and Tovar twice.
By the end of the night, the Rockies whiffed 16 times, had one total hit and came up empty in 26 consecutive at-bats.
Even though the Rockies won two of three games in St. Louis to begin their 10-day road trip, they struck out 31 times vs. the Cardinals, including fanning 13 times in their 1-0 victory Sunday. Monday marked the ninth time this season that the Rockies have struck out 15 or more times, including a 15K game in a recent 11-1 loss to the Padres at Coors Field.
Early in the game, Rockies right-hander Peter Lambert was reasonably sharp, despite a walk and a hit batter in the first inning and another walk in the second.
But the wheels came off in the fourth. Lambert walked leadoff hitter Sal Frelick — ill-advised — before giving up a two-run homer to Brice Turang. Brian Anderson followed with a triple to right and scored on Tyrone Taylor’s single. A hustle double by Christian Yelich on a blooper, followed by a two-run single by William Contreras put Milwaukee ahead 5-1.
Game, set, mismatch.
“I just felt a little off,” Lambert told reporters. “I just couldn’t really synch it up; couldn’t figure it out. I tried, inning by inning, but I couldn’t figure it out.”
After that, it got ugly for the Rockies, particularly for right-hander Connor Seabold, who was torched for seven runs on eight hits, including two homers. Seabold, the former starter, now has a 7.65 ERA.
Tuesday’s pitching matchup
Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (4-12, 4.86 ERA) at Brewers LHP Wade Miley (6-2, 3.01)
6:10 p.m. Tuesday, American Family Field
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Freeland is in a rut. Lacking offensive support, he’s been pinned with a loss in eight of his last 12 starts. In fact, his last victory came on May 14 vs. Philadelphia. Over his last 12 starts, the lefty has a 6.28 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 23 walks. He beat the Brewers on May 3 at Coors Field, pitching five shutout innings, striking out five and walking none. In two starts at Milwaukee, he’s 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA. Miley, 36, is scheduled to make the 300th start of his big-league career. Coming off the injured list, Miley pitched four innings and got a no-decision in Milwaukee’s loss 3-2 at Washington. The lefty is 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA in his last 6 starts. In 18 career games (17 starts) vs. Colorado, he’s 9-3 with a 4.26 ERA. On May 4 at Coors, he departed after six innings holding a 4-2 lead but the Rockies won, 9-6.
Pitching probables
Wednesday: Rockies RHP Chris Flexen (1-5, 7.82) at Brewers RHP Adrian Houser (4-3, 4.19), 12:10 p.m., ATTRM
Thursday: Rockies LHP Ty Blach (1-1, 4.85) at Dodgers TBA, 8:10 p.m., ATTRM
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