Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers poses during photo day on February 22 at Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix. Photo by Dave Durochik/MLB Photos via Getty Images
MILWAUKEE -- Less than three months after making his major league debut with a near no-hitter at Coors Field, Freddy Peralta gets another chance against the Rockies when his Milwaukee Brewers continue a three-game series with Colorado Saturday afternoon at Miller Park.
The 22-year-old right-hander made history in that first outing back on May 13, striking out 13 batters while carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning. He ended up allowing one hit and no runs over 5 2/3 innings in a 7-3 Milwaukee win.
He will take the mound Saturday having struck out 63 batters in his first 47 1/3 innings of big league action while holding opponents to a .155 average (25-for-161) in nine starts. He begins Saturday's game with a 4-2 record and a 3.61 ERA.
Add in the fact that he is helping lead a rotation that's been among the best in the National League for a team that's won the most games in the NL and it's a pretty impressive way to kick off a career.
"I'm working, working, working and trying hard to be better, better, better," Peralta said. "To give the team a win. That's the important thing -- winning games."
Milwaukee has done that more often than not, winning six of the nine games he started, including his last outing when he held the Dodgers to just a run on three hits while striking out six over four innings last Monday at Dodger Stadium.
"In spots he had to make pitches, he made pitches," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said.
The Brewers come into the game riding high after Eric Thames beat the Rockies Friday night with a three-run, ninth-inning homer off Colorado closer Wade Davis that gave Milwaukee a 5-3 victory.
Milwaukee has won eight games in walk-off fashion this season.
"We always get fired up," Thames said. "If we're down by five runs or whatever in the ninth inning, we're still going to try to come back and try to score. We're not going to mope around and say 'let's get out of here.' No, we want to come back and win.
"Walk-offs are really fun. ... Having a day like this gets us excited for a day like tomorrow."
After dropping three in a row and four of their last five, the Rockies turn to left-hander Tyler Anderson (6-3, 3.69 ERA) to get back on track.
Anderson has been phenomenal over the last month, going 2-0 with a 1.74 ERA over a six-start stretch dating back to June 29. Opponents are batting just .144 against him in those contests.
"(He's throwing) all four pitches to all four quadrants of the zone," catcher Chris Iannetta said of Anderson's recent success. "That's the difference-maker. When you can command pitches and move balls in and out, it's really difficult for hitters to get in a groove."
Anderson credits the rest of the Rockies' rotation, which has been on a tear of its own over the last few weeks, for keeping him motivated each time he takes the mound
"You go off what you see," Anderson said. "If you see your guys going bad, maybe you think the hitters are better than they are. You see guys dominate, you're like, 'Oh, I expect to do the same thing.' "
Both of Anderson's career meetings with the Brewers have come at Miller Park, where he is 1-1 with a 5.91 ERA.
