A season-best performance by Freddy Peralta got the Milwaukee Brewers back on track on Wednesday afternoon.
The right-hander struck out eight over six innings and the offense did the bulk of its damage early as the Brewers denied the Detroit Tigers a sweep with a 6-2 victory at American Family Field.
Victor Caratini and Joey Wiemer both homered and Brian Anderson drove in two of the first three runs of the day with a double four batters into the first as Milwaukee snapped its three-game losing streak in advance of this weekend’s three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels.
Milwaukee matched its run production from the previous two nights – both losses – in the first three innings against Detroit starter Michael Lorenzen.
Christian Yelich was hit by a pitch to start and Jesse Winker walked. Rowdy Tellez followed with a double to right that drove in Yelich. Brian Anderson followed with a single that plated Winker and Tellez to make it 3-0 in the first.
Box score: Brewers 6, Tigers 2
Tellez struck out with the bases loaded and two outs in the second but the Brewers added two runs in the third when, one pitch after an Anderson single, Caratini drove his first homer of the season out to right.
Anderson, playing right field Wednesday, showed some good and some bad in the early going.
In the top of the third, it was his strong throw home that forced Matt Vierling to hold at third base on a single by Riley Greene. Peralta then struck out Jonathan Schoop to end the threat.
The flip side was revealed in the fourth when Anderson let a routine fly ball drop after some apparent miscommunication with centerfielder Joey Wiemer. Nick Maton cruised into second as a result.
Peralta proceeded to record the next two outs and got ahead of Akil Baddoo, 0-2, before he flipped a hustle double to left that scored Maton. Jake Rogers followed with a single, and the speedy Baddoo scampered home to cut Milwaukee’s lead to 5-2.
The Brewers’ offense failed to do any additional damage to Lorenzen in his five-inning stint but Peralta held firm as well, retiring the final seven batters he faced to record his third quality start among his five turns this season.
Peralta (3-2) allowed four hits, two runs (none earned) and for the first time didn’t walk a batter (although he did hit Javier Báez in the left hand with a pitch in the first inning and forced him from the game with a contusion).
Peralta also generated 18 swings and misses among his 98 pitches.
Bryse Wilson, Hoby Milner, Peter Strzelecki kept it 5-2 through the eighth, and Wiemer provided a little more breathing room for closer Devin Williams with a two-out, solo homer to right in the bottom of the inning.
The homer was the second of the year for Wiemer.
Williams retired the Tigers in order in the ninth to finish off the victory.
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