ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta makes his World Series debut on Monday night as he takes the mound for the Rays against the team he played the majority of his career with.
While the righty was dominant against Cleveland (0.75 ERA, nine strikeouts in three appearances), he did not fare well against his friends in Milwaukee, the only time he faced them this year.
During his thankfully short stint with the New York Mets, Peralta played his former team once and was beaten up. Badly. In a July 20 start against the Brewers, Peralta went 5.1 innings, gave up eight hits, seven earned runs, and two home runs. He left the game with an ERA of 11.81.
Since moving to Tampa at the deadline, he has been a vastly improved pitcher and has been a major reason for the team’s relative dominance against Cleveland. Showing improved command of his stuff and benefiting from better coaching, he has the opportunity to make up for that first showdown against the Brewers.
Do not expect nearly as disastrous a start from Peralta, especially with a 7-0 record and 0.89 ERA since August.
Prediction: 6.2 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K
