Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta is feeling pretty good as he prepares for his start at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night.
Peralta, 29, received some great news ahead of Monday’s start. Brewers manager Pat Murphy told him he had been named as an All-Star for the second time in his career and the first time since 2021.
“It was very special what he said,” Peralta said of when Murphy gave him the news. “He gave me a lot of credit, and he said that he was proud of what he’s seen from me since I got here back in 2018. It was a great feeling while he was speaking because it reminds me of a lot of things when I was 21 years old.”
Peralta (9-4, 2.91 ERA) will try to keep the good feelings going for the Brewers as they welcome Los Angeles for a three-game set. Milwaukee will start a six-game homestand ahead of the All-Star break after taking two out of three games against the Marlins in Miami over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are eager to move past a disappointing series against the Houston Astros, who swept them in three games at Dodger Stadium. They will visit Milwaukee for three games before closing the season’s first half with three games on the road against the San Francisco Giants.
Los Angeles will turn to right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8-6, 2.51), who is set to make his 18th start of the season. He has 109 strikeouts in 96 2/3 innings.
This will be Yamamoto’s first career start against the Brewers.
Like Peralta, Yamamoto will take the mound for the first time since he received good news this weekend. He earned his first All-Star Game berth and will take part in the event along with teammate and fellow starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
“Yoshinobu has been great,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think that he’s shown the ability to beat good ballclubs, pitch big ballgames, manage stress, limit damage, all that stuff.
“So, yeah, I think he’s back to kind of being who he is, and (it’s) not surprising. I’m just really impressed with what he’s done in a year and a half of being here.”
Peralta also is feeling reflective as he prepares for his 19th start of the season. In six career starts against the Dodgers, he is 2-2 with a 3.30 ERA.
He praised his catcher, William Contreras, for helping with his development.
“Being able to take the ball every five days and feel good is (the) most important achievement so far this season,” Peralta said. “I remember that in my fourth or fifth game, my groin wasn’t feeling good, and I got through that.
“The adjustments that me and (Contreras) have been making together is something very special. (It’s) the relationship that we’ve built.”
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani will try to bounce back after finishing 0-for-4 with a strikeout on Sunday against the Astros. He is hitting .278 with 30 home runs and 56 RBIs in 89 games.
The Brewers are 27-17 at home this season. The Dodgers are 23-18 on the road.
–Field Level Media
