The Milwaukee Brewers will turn to ace Freddy Peralta as they go for their third straight win when they face the visiting Athletics on Friday in the opener of a three-game series.
Peralta (1-1, 2.31 ERA) will be opposed by fellow right-hander J.T. Ginn (1-0, 1.69), making his second start since being called up from the minors.
The Athletics blanked the Chicago White Sox 8-0 on Thursday on a combined four-hitter by JP Sears, who tossed six innings, and three relievers. Tyler Soderstrom hit his major league-leading ninth homer.
Milwaukee, which was idle on Thursday, is coming off a 5-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday in the rubber match of the three-game series.
Peralta will be making his fifth start of the season. He did not get the decision his last time out, allowing two runs on four hits in 5 1/3 innings during Milwaukee’s 5-2 loss at Arizona on Sunday.
Peralta is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two career outings versus the Athletics, including one start.
After a slow start, Milwaukee catcher William Contreras has hit safely in 10 consecutive games, batting .351 (13-for-37) over that span.
Brewers veterans Christian Yelich and Rhys Hoskins are showing signs of snapping out of early slumps. Yelich, who entered the week hitting .143, socked his fourth homer Wednesday and bumped his average to .172.
Yelich, who hit .315 in 2024 before season-ending back surgery in August, realizes the numbers being shown on the scoreboard.
“Just don’t look at it. I don’t know,” Yelich said following the Wednesday game. “I don’t look at it. I couldn’t tell you any of my stats. I know they’re pretty bad, but just keep going.”
Hoskins, who was hitting .171 entering the Tigers series, homered in each of the final two games and raised his average to .255.
The Brewers optioned third baseman Oliver Dunn to Triple-A Nashville on Thursday. The left-handed hitter was batting just .167 (6-for-36) with two doubles and no homers while playing primarily against right-handed pitching. A roster replacement was not immediately announced, although third baseman Caleb Durbin is hitting .278 at Triple A Nashville.
Ginn was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas on Saturday and turned in a solid start in a 3-1 win over the New York Mets that day, allowing one run on five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He fanned six and walked two.
“That’s the kid we’ve been waiting to see,” manager Mark Kotsay said afterward. “He showed a little bit of a glimpse last year of the bulldog competitor that he is. He stepped up for us today. That’s a really good team over there. He did a great job getting into the sixth inning and really pitching well for us.”
Ginn was 1-0 with a 1.64 ERA in two starts this season at Las Vegas, striking out 19 in 11 innings.
Ginn was 1-1 with a 4.24 in eight games last season with the Athletics, including six starts. He made one relief appearance vs. Milwaukee, allowing one run in 1 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
