Freddy Peralta allowed two hits over eight scoreless innings as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the host Cincinnati Reds with a 1-0 victory Wednesday.
Peralta's battery mate, Manny Pina, delivered the game's lone run with an RBI single in the second inning. Peralta (1-0) retired 20 in a row between the second and eighth innings.
The Brewers are 6-1 through seven games for the first time since 2008 and the fourth time in team history.
Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo nearly matched Peralta by giving up just one hit over seven innings but took the hard-luck loss. Castillo (0-1) issued four walks and struck out nine.
Cincinnati has dropped four straight since an Opening Day win over the Pittsburgh Pirates last Thursday.
Peralta, who allowed four runs over three innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on Opening Day last Thursday, struck out 11 and walked none while pitching beyond the seventh inning for the first time in 16 regular-season starts.
The 22-year-old right-hander allowed a leadoff single to Eugenio Suarez in the second but wasn't touched again until Curt Casali singled to shallow left with two outs in the eighth. Peralta then won a battle with pinch-hitter Yasiel Puig, who fouled off five pitches before striking out on the eighth pitch of the at-bat and Peralta's 100th pitch of the afternoon.
Peralta is the first Brewers pitcher to toss at least eight innings and allow two base runners or fewer since Kyle Lohse tossed a two-hit shutout on Sept. 24, 2014.
Alex Wilson wriggled out of trouble in the ninth, when he issued a leadoff walk to Tucker Barnhart and gave up a two-out single to Matt Kemp that sent pinch-runner Michael Lorenzen to third. But Wilson induced Suarez to hit into a fielder's choice to end the game and earn his first save since 2017.
The Brewers built the game's only run after Jesus Aguilar drew a one-out walk in the second. He went to second when Castillo balked and raced home on Pina's two-out single.
Lorenzo Cain delivered a pinch-hit double leading off the eighth for the Brewers' other hit. Cain stole third with two outs but was stranded when Travis Shaw flied out to left.
--Field Level Media
Milwaukee | Cincinnati | |
Freddy Peralta | Player | Luis Castillo |
Win | W/L | Loss |
8.0 | IP | 7.0 |
11 | Strikeouts | 9 |
2 | Hits | 1 |
0.00 | ERA | 1.29 |
Milwaukee | Cincinnati | |
Lorenzo Cain | Player | Curt Casali |
1 | Hits | 1 |
0 | RBI | 0 |
0 | HR | 0 |
2 | TB | 1 |
1.000 | Avg | .333 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Milwaukee | 2 | 0 | 3 | .071 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
Cincinnati | 3 | 0 | 3 | .100 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |