Former Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta is dominating with the Tampa Bay Rays following a tactical pitch-mix overhaul.
After a horrendous stint with the New York Mets, it seems like Freddy Peralta is getting back on track with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The former Milwaukee Brewers ace was traded in the offseason as the team knew they simply wouldn't be able to pay him what he was looking for in 2027 and beyond.
That decision paid off in a big way, but suddenly, it seems like Peralta could be a driving force in the Rays' playoff run.
Milwaukee wouldn't run into Peralta and the Rays unless both teams make the World Series, but that's definitely a possibility as each team has the best record in their respective league.
At the end of the day, the Brewers had a chance to reunite with Peralta at the trade deadline, but they decided to go with Dustin May instead.
Peralta has been on fire with the Rays
Peralta's first start with the Rays was a disaster as he gave up seven earned runs on nine hits in just 3.2 innings, but that should be taken with a grain of salt as it was at Coors Field.
From there, he started to get slightly better, though he still lost two of his next three starts.
Once Wednesday, Aug. 26 hit, a flip switched. Peralta has only given up three earned runs in his last five starts, and he's gone 4-0 in that stretch.
Peralta is coming off another brilliant start on Saturday, Sept. 19, when he didn't record a decision, but allowed just one earned run on four hits in 5.2 innings.
To see Peralta's ERA go from 5.37 to 4.56 in roughly a month and a half is incredible. He's now 9-11 on the year and is a 0.8 WAR player with the Rays, a number far above the -0.4 it was during his time with the Mets.
Peralta has a 0.98 WHIP during his first nine starts with the Rays, and that's a number that gives Jacob Misiorowski a run for his money. Obviously, his season total of 1.33 is still far higher than he'd like, especially knowing it was only 1.08 during his final year with the Brewers.
The biggest reason for Peralta's success is how much he's changed up his pitch mix with the Rays. He's throwing his four-seamer 51% of the time (down from 54% with the Mets), is throwing the changeup 30% compared to the 21% it was in New York, and he's completely eliminated the slider from his arsenal.
