Freddy Peralta made a strong case to start Game 2 of the ALDS for the Tampa Bay Rays after winning AL Pitcher of the Month. With a 0.89 WHIP and just three earned runs allowed in September, Peralta could give Kevin Cash a powerful postseason rotation behind Drew Rasmussen.
Freddy Peralta is going to start a game for the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series.
I don't think there is much of a debate about that anymore.
The bigger question is whether Kevin Cash should hand him the ball in Game 2 or elsewhere.
Peralta was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for September after allowing just three earned runs over 28 innings in five starts. He finished the month with a 0.89 WHIP while opponents hit just .162 against him.
It's even better when you look at who he faced.
Four of those five starts came against teams that made the postseason, with Peralta facing Atlanta, Houston, Boston, and Philadelphia.
His final two starts came in a 2-1 win over the Red Sox and a 2-0 win over the Phillies. Both teams were still trying to secure their spots in the postseason.
Peralta didn't just finish the season beating up on bad teams, he looked like one of the best pitchers in baseball.
That's a pretty incredible development considering where his game was before the trade this summer.
Peralta came to Tampa Bay with a 4.99 ERA after struggling with the New York Mets. His first start with the Rays wasn't any better, allowing seven earned runs at Coors Field.
Since then, we've watched the Rays make adjustments to his delivery and pitch usage, and the results have completely changed the conversation.
We're no longer asking whether Peralta deserves to be in the postseason rotation.
Now I think you have to consider putting him directly behind Drew Rasmussen. Even with knowing Nick Martinez was an All-Star this season.
Assuming Rasmussen starts Game 1, using Peralta in Game 2 could also give Cash an interesting setup later in the series.
With the scheduled days off, Tampa Bay could potentially return to Rasmussen in Game 4 and Peralta in Game 5 on normal rest.
That isn't necessarily what the Rays will do. We still don't know their official ALDS pitching plan.
But having that option could give Cash more freedom with Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour in the middle of the series.
That's a conversation for later, but for now, Peralta has made his case.
He was one of the best pitchers in baseball during September, did it against postseason competition, and finished the regular season pitching his best baseball.
At this point, Game 2 makes a lot of sense.
