The Milwaukee Brewers will turn to ace right-hander Freddy Peralta to try to halt the visiting Minnesota Twins’ 13-game winning streak on Sunday afternoon when the teams conclude their three-game series.
The Twins have called up 24-year-old right-hander Zebby Matthews to start against Peralta (4-3, 2.66 ERA). Matthews fills a void created when Minnesota got rained out Tuesday at Baltimore and needed to play a doubleheader Wednesday.
Minnesota extended its winning streak with a 7-0 victory Saturday. Ryan Jeffers and Kody Clemens homered and Pablo Lopez threw six innings of two-hit ball.
The winning streak is the second-longest since the franchise moved from Washington, D.C., to Minnesota in 1961, trailing only the 1991 team that won 15 consecutive games and went on to capture the World Series.
The Twins recorded their third consecutive shutout for the first time since 2004 and extended their scoreless inning streak to a team-record 33 innings.
“It’s a pretty nice run the boys have been going on, but I prefer not to talk about it too much,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. “I prefer to let just let them keep playing the way they’re playing and pitching the way they’re pitching.”
Milwaukee was shut out for the fourth time in five games and has lost seven of its last nine.
The Brewers managed just three singles in Saturday’s loss. They loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning on a single, a walk and a hit batter but failed to score.
“We stink right now as an offense, and that’s just the reality of it,” said first baseman Rhys Hoskins. “We know the type of talent we have, we know the way that we prepare. All we can do is try to salvage the series tomorrow.”
The Brewers have several mainstays who are struggling. Christian Yelich was 0-for-4 on Saturday, dropping his average to .196. Shortstop Joey Ortiz is hitting .174, and Caleb Durbin, called up from Triple-A in mid-April to hopefully improve production at third base, is hitting .175 and hasn’t registered a hit in his last 21 at-bats.
Peralta took the loss in his last time out, allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 5-0 defeat Monday at Cleveland.
He is 0-0 with a 2.84 ERA in six career games, including two starts, against Minnesota. He faced the Twins once last season, tossing six shutout innings before settling for a no-decision.
Matthews, 24, was 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A St. Paul this season. Last season, he advanced from High Class-A to Triple-A before being called up by the Twins. He closed out the regular season in the Twins’ rotation as he posted a 1-4 record and 6.69 ERA in nine starts. He struck out 43 batters in 37 2/3 innings, but he also allowed 11 homers.
Before Saturday’s games, the Twins placed outfielder Byron Buxton on the seven-day concussion injured list. Buxton was injured in a collision Thursday with teammate Carlos Correa, who was placed on the seven-day concussion IL on Friday.
The Twins also called up outfielder Carson McCusker before Sunday’s game. The 6-foot-8, 250-pound McCusker, nicknamed “McCrusher,” is hitting .350 at Triple-A St. Paul with 10 homers and 36 RBI in 38 games.
–Field Level Media
