The Milwaukee Brewers will be looking to bounce back behind right-hander Freddy Peralta when they host the San Francisco Giants on Friday in the second game of the four-game series.
Peralta (5-3, 4.15 ERA) will be opposed by left-hander Alex Wood (0-0, 4.05).
Six Giants pitchers combined on a four-hitter in a designated bullpen game for a 5-0 victory in the series opener on Thursday.
San Francisco has won eight of its past 10 games. The Giants’ pitching staff has not allowed more than four earned runs in 11 consecutive games, tied for the longest streak in the majors this season.
“These strategies tend to work when pitchers do a great job and are really bought in,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said.
Michael Conforto went 4-for-4 with his team-leading 11th home run and a walk on Thursday. Conforto is hitting .471 (8-for-17) over his past four games with three homers, a double and six RBIs.
Milwaukee, which shut out the Houston Astros on Tuesday and Wednesday, has been involved in shutouts in five of its past eight games, losing three of them. The Brewers are 4-19 when scoring three runs or fewer, 23-4 when scoring four or more.
The Brewers did not have a baserunner in the opener against the Giants until the fourth inning, and they struck out 13 times while drawing just two walks.
“This was a night where we simply didn’t do enough offensively,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “Six baserunners in nine innings, that’s not going to be a big offensive night.”
Peralta picked up the win in his most recent start, giving up three runs — all on a three-run homer — on five hits in six innings during a 6-4 win at Tampa Bay on Sunday.
“I think Freddy probably wants one pitch back. They made him work in that inning pretty good,” Counsell said after that contest. “He made a mistake with some guys on base and they did a nice job with it. Other than that, I thought he pitched a wonderful game.”
Peralta is 2-1 with a 4.63 ERA in four starts in May, having served up four homers in 23 1/3 innings.
Peralta is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two career appearances, including one start, against the Giants, not allowing a run in three innings. He left his start against them last September after two innings due to a right shoulder injury.
Wood is 0-0 with a 6.30 ERA in three appearances, including two starts, since coming off the injured list on May 12. He had been sidelined for nearly a month due to a left hamstring strain.
In his latest start, Wood allowed four runs and two homers in 4 1/3 innings but did not get the decision in the Giants’ 7-5 win over the visiting Miami Marlins on Sunday.
Wood is 3-0 with a 1.29 ERA vs. the Brewers in seven career outings, including three starts. He has given up just three runs in 15 innings over four games (two starts) at Milwaukee.
–Field Level Media
