Making his major league debut for the Milwaukee Brewers in front of a packed Mother’s Day crowd, rookie pitcher Freddy Peralta became the first big league pitcher to strike out ten batters in a professional debut since Matt Harvey in 2012, as the Brewers dominated the Rockies 7-3 Sunday.
Milwaukee’s young pitching prospect had the Rockies fanning left and right Sunday afternoon, striking out 11 of the first 15 hitters he faced and taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
Peralta was rewarded by his offense with four quick runs in the first three innings, and with an early lead, Peralta was able to settle into a groove on the mound without having to worry about a tight contest.
Peralta consistently attacked the Rockies at the plate and worked himself into pitcher’s counts. Then with the count in his favor, Peralta was able to get the Rockies to chase his eye candy.
In total, Peralta threw first-pitch strikes against 13-of-19 hitters and struck out 13 in 5 2/3 innings. Peralta’s 13 strikeouts is a new franchise record for a rookie pitcher.
Freddy Peralta has just struck out his 13th batter of the game (in the 6th inning), a new franchise record for a #Brewers rookie pitcher. #MILatCOL
— Mike Vassallo (@MikeVassallo13) May 13, 2018
Trying to keep up with the masterful performance from Peralta, Jon Gray’s outing was not as poor as the scorecard may indicate, but struggles with consistency costed him big-time in the loss.
After giving up a double to Christian Yelich to lead off the game, Gray struck out the side in the first inning. It was a common theme in the contest. Gray would look really off for a hitter or two and then he would recover with a big strikeout.
The right-handed starter from Oklahoma racked up the K’s for Colorado Sunday afternoon, totalling ten in 5 1/3 innings. However, the Brewers were able to tally ten hits off him, including four extra base hits, resulting in six earned runs.
Coming into Sunday’s game, Gray only gave up ten hits in his previous three starts combined. While Gray’s struggles certainly hurt the Rockies Sunday, Colorado’s inability to get anything going offensively kept them out of the game from the start. Seven of Colorado’s eight starting position players struck out at least once and the middle of the lineup finished a combined 2-for-15 at the dish.
Tony Wolters did finally break through in the seventh inning with a 419 foot solo shot, and David Dahl gave the club some late hope with a two-run bomb in the eighth. Ultimately the lead was always safe for Milwaukee though.
May 13, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Jon Gray (55) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Rockies struggled in just about all facets of the game Sunday, but they at least looked good while they did it. Donning pink hats and uniform accessories in celebration of moms around the globe, Colorado’s 2018 Mother’s Day look was much cleaner than last season.
The pink hats and socks were nice additions to the uniform but leaving the jersey trim the same made was a good decision from the league. In 2017, the Rockies Mother’s Day uniforms were a bit overwhelming, but they definitely got it right this time around.
Colorado (22-19) will have to rebound from the series loss quickly, as the Rockies will head to San Diego for a two-game set before squaring off with San Francisco for three games at AT&T Park.