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With former Brewers ace Corbin Burnes pitching for the Baltimore Orioles and Brandon Woodruff recovering from shoulder surgery, Freddy Peralta has emerged as Milwaukee’s staff ace.

Peralta (2-0, 2.55 ERA) has been up to the task while striking out 26 batters and walking two in 17 2/3 innings in three starts.

“He’s coming into his own,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “He’s been made the ace, and he’s stepped into those shoes.”

He will try to remain in that groove Friday night when the Brewers open their three-game road series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Peralta struck out 11 batters and walked none in his last start, an 11-1 victory April 12 at Baltimore. He held the Orioles to one run on five hits over six innings.

“Freddy being Freddy, man,” Brewers shortstop Willy Adames said. “His last three starts have been amazing. He’s doing what we expected him to do, step up his game and teach some of the young guys who are on the team now. He’s doing an amazing job doing that. We knew he was nasty — he’s put up numbers the past years. He’s just continuing to get better every year.”

The Brewers could really use a quality start from Peralta to relieve pressure on their bullpen, which has shouldered a heavy workload so far this season. Starters have thrown 80 innings, with the bullpen shouldering 71.

Milwaukee defeated the San Diego Padres 1-0 on Wednesday with a bullpen start, with five relievers combining to blank the Padres.

“We’re under construction,” Murphy said. “But we’re competing.”

Last season, Peralta was 1-2 with a 4.15 ERA in three starts against the Cardinals. In his career, Peralta is 3-6 with a 5.86 ERA in 15 appearances, including 11 starts.

He will face a Cardinals lineup that is failing to generate much offense.The Cardinals have scored three runs or fewer in five straight games and in 10 of their past 11.

Jordan Walker (.180 batting average), Paul Goldschmidt (.182) and Nolan Gorman (.191) have suffered slow starts, and rookie Victor Scott II (.089) has struggled while filling in for injured outfielders Tommy Edman and Dylan Carlson.

While Peralta has been on point for the Brewers, Kyle Gibson (1-2, 6.16 ERA) has struggled for the Cardinals since signing as a free agent. He has allowed five homers in 19 innings over his three starts.

Gibson took the loss in his last start on Saturday. He allowed four runs on six hits — including Lourdes Gurriel Jr.’s three-run homer — and three walks in six innings against the Diamondbacks.

“It’s frustrating,” Gibson said after that loss. “Especially as a guy who I normally do a decent job of keeping the ball in the ballpark. So it’s frustrating to look back at outings and say, ‘Man, if you keep the ball in the ballpark, it’s obviously a lot different.’

“So it’s something I’ll work on. Some of that is sequencing, location. Tonight, it wasn’t as much location. It was probably just pitch selection.”

Gibson is 1-2 with a 5.44 ERA in eight career starts against the Brewers.

–Field Level Media