Wily Peralta Back on Track as Brewers Down Marlins

Sep 10, 2014; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Matt Clark (60) is greeted by center fielder Carlos Gomez (27), catcher Jonathan Lucroy (20) and right fielder Ryan Braun (8) after hitting a home run during the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Another day, another chance for the Milwaukee Brewers to right the ship after losing 13 of their last 14 games. Today was game three of their four-game series against the Miami Marlins.

Today featured Wily Peralta (15-10, 3.84 ERA) taking on Jarred Cosart (13-8, 3.74 ERA) whom the Marlins acquired from the Houston Astros at the non-waiver trading deadline.

Cosart had allowed a grand total of five runs in six previous starts for the Marlins, which didn’t bode well for the struggling Brewers offense who haven’t been able to do much lately.

The Brewers anemic offense managed two runs off Cosart and Peralta held the fish to just one over the same span, turning the game over the bullpens in the seventh inning. Unlike yesterday, Milwaukee’s bullpen was up to the task and the Brewers took a 4-1 win, for just their second win in September, keeping them within 1 ½ of the Pirates for the second wild card spot.

Neither team managed a run in the first two-and-a-half innings of the game, but the Brewers tried pretty damn hard in the first inning. Jonathan Lucroy knocked a two-out double to right and came around toward the plate on an Aramis Ramirez single but was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

The Brewers caught a break in the bottom of the third though, as Jean Segura led off with an all-too-familiar routine grounder to short.

Adeiny Hechavarria airmailed the throw to first base and Segura got to second base. The Marlins threw to first to appeal that Segura missed first base, and Segura wisely took third on the throw to first. He was ruled safe on the appeal, and Peralta hit a fly ball to center to bring him home and the Brewers a 1-0 lead.

The Brewers threatened again in the bottom of the fourth. Jonathan Lucroy led off with a walk. After an Aramis Ramirez fly out Gerardo Parra singled to left and Khris Davis walked to load the bases.

Matt Clark came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out and on a 1-1 count he lofted a fly to the warning track in left field to bring in Lucroy and make it a 2-0 Brewers lead.

The Marlins got on the board in the seventh after six scoreless innings from Peralta. Marcell Ozuna launched a 3-2 fastball out to right for a home run (22) to make it 2-1 Brewers.

Two batters later Jarrod Saltalamacchia singled to center and Hechavarria had an infield single on a swinging bunt to put two on for Justin Bour, pinch-hitting for Cosart. Bour flew out to Carlos Gomez in center but it was deep enough to move Saltalamacchia to third.

With two men on and two outs, Ron Roenicke gave Peralta the hook and called for Zach Duke to face Christian Yelich. Duke walked Yelich on six pitches to load the bases for Donovan Solano.

Yelich was Duke’s only hitter as Jonathan Broxton came in to replace with Solano coming up. Logan Schafer came in for Khris Davis on the double switch. Broxton threw just two pitches to get Solano to fly out to Parra in right.

Peralta went 6 2/3 innings and allowed just one run on five hits and three walks. He struck out five. It was a nice start for Peralta who had struggled of late.

Sam Dyson came on to pitch the seventh for the Marlins. Matt Clark led off the inning with his first big league home run for his second big league RBI, his first came in the fourth inning.

Segura followed with an infield single on a swinging bunt as Saltalamacchia’s throw sailed wide of first base and Segura scooted over to second base. A good throw would have gotten him, but it was ruled a single as it was sort of amazing that Salty made a play on it at all.

Schafer grounded out to second on the next at bat, moving Segura to third. He came in to score on a Carlos Gomez swinging bunt toward third that Dyson couldn’t field, making it 4-1 Brewers and putting Gomez at first base.

That was it for Dyson as Mike Redmond called for lefty Dan Jennings to take over on the hill which prompted Roenicke to send Rickie Weeks out for Gennett. Jennings made three pickoff throws to first around two pitches to Weeks. One the third, Gomez took off for second and beat the throw from the first baseman Jones for a steal (30).

Weeks grounded out back to the mound, moving Gomez to third with two outs. Redmond wasn’t going to let Jennings pitch to Lucroy, so he called for Carter Capps to relieve Jennings. He got Lucroy to ground out to second to end the inning.

Broxton returned to the hill in the top of the eighth for Milwaukee, after throwing only two pitches in the seventh. Despite Giancarlo Stanton fouling off four 0-2 pitches before flying out to lead off the inning, Broxton worked a perfect eighth.

Capps stayed on the bump for the Marlins in the bottom half of the inning. He got Ramirez to pop out to lead off the inning ahead of a Parra single. Lyle Overbay came in to pinch hit for Broxton. Parra stole second on a Marlins pitch out and Salty dropped the ball on the transfer and couldn’t make a throw.

Overbay grounded out to short, moving Parra to third with two outs. Mark Reynolds struck out to end the inning.

Francisco Rodriguez came on to pitch the ninth with the three run lead, looking for some redemption after last night’s debacle. Jones and Saltalamacchia both flew out to Gomez for the first two outs of the inning. Hechavarria singled to left to give the Marlins some life.

Jordany Valdespin came on to pinch-hit for Capps. With Valdespin at the plate Hechavarria took second on defensive indifference. Valdespin grounded out to Elian Herrera at second to end the game.

Peralta took the win for Milwaukee, and Cosart the hard-luck loss for the Marlins. K-Rod picked up his first save since August 24^th; it was his 40^th of the season.

The series will wrap up tomorrow with Mike Fiers (5-2, 2.03 ERA), the lone bright spot in the Brewers otherwise dismal September, taking on Nathan Eovaldi (6-10, 4.19 ERA).