Notes: Wily Peralta back in Brewers' bullpen

Todd Rosiak
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wily Peralta pitches against the Phillies on Sunday. He threw two innings, allowing one hit and two walks and striking out four.

PHILADELPHIA - Wily Peralta's next – and possibly last – chance with the Milwaukee Brewers began Sunday.

The right-hander was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list before the series finale with the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park after he had missed a little over a month with a strained right calf.

He replaced Rob Scahill, who was designated for assignment.

“Look, we need functioning members of the bullpen,” manager Craig Counsell said. “So he has to be able to get outs. Wily struggled for a bulk of the season here. I think we’re in a spot in the season where we don’t have as much time and we can’t have as much patience with some parts of our roster.

"Certainly it’s important that he pitches well.”

It's been a rapid descent for Peralta, once the organization's top pitching prospect.

He was the team's opening-day starter in 2016, but poor performance and inconsistency led to him being optioned to Class AAA Colorado Springs for a reset a little over two months later.

After 10 starts there, Peralta returned to Milwaukee, where he  posted a 3-4 record and 2.92 earned-run average in his final 10 turns of the season. Peralta finished with a 7-11 record and 4.86 in 23 starts for the Brewers.

BOX SCORE:Phillies 6, Brewers 3

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Peralta opened this season in the rotation and went 4-2 with a 6.08 ERA before being switched to relief duty for the first time. He struggled badly, going 1-2 with a 10.54 ERA and WHIP of 2.20 in nine appearances before landing on the DL.

Peralta made four rehab appearances for Colorado Springs. The second went so poorly that Peralta requested to not pitch in games so he could work with Sky Sox pitching coach Fred Dabney – a trusted confidant who'd coached Peralta in 2010 and '12 in the minor leagues. 

"I just felt off," Peralta said. "My first outing wasn’t that bad; I felt pretty good. My second one I wasn’t feeling comfortable on the mound.

"Me and Fred and Counsell decided instead of going into a game right away after the all-star break, just get on the mound and get a couple bullpen sessions in and find that rhythm."

Peralta threw a pair of bullpen sessions with Dabney over 10 days. In the two games he pitched afterward, Peralta tossed a total of three hitless innings and issued one walk while striking out two.

Now, he gets what could be his final shot with the Brewers. He took a good step  Sunday with two scoreless innings. Peralta allowed a hit and two walks with four strikeouts.

"It’s important for the team and it’s important for me"  said Peralta, who is 5-4 with a 6.95 ERA in 18 appearances. "I feel like the way that I threw the ball in my last couple outings, I’m going to have a good result here, because I feel pretty good."

Looking to improve: Peralta isn't the only reliever entering the new week with something to prove.

Carlos Torres, Oliver Drake and Jacob Barnes all struggled badly in the Phillies series. Torres was hammered in Friday's loss, while Drake and Barnes were both let off the hook by Domingo Santana's RBI single in the ninth on Saturday.

Closer Corey Knebel blew a save in Pittsburgh but redeemed himself by overpowering the Phillies to close out Saturday's 9-8 win.

“I thought last night might have been his best outing of the year,” Counsell said of Knebel. “His curveball was as good as I’ve seen it all year. (The Phillies) got him on a tough night."

Michael Blazek fell victim to a nice piece of hitting by Howie Kendrick on Sunday, as the veteran took an 0-2 fastball up the middle and just out of his reach to drive in the go-ahead runs.

"Game of inches," he said. "I wasn’t expecting him to swing at it because we were trying to go up and in just to get him back and then go something soft away. Then for him to swing at it ... it’s just the way it works."

Counsell indicated he's ready to use his relievers in any role necessary to get the job  – even Knebel in innings other than the ninth if he has had sufficient rest.

"We’re at a time of the year where the outs feel precious," Counsell said. "We’ve got a pretty good structure to it, an order to it, and guys just need to get the job done.

"And they will.”