It was the first time in almost a year since Dillon Peters last pitched in the majors. The last time was Sept. 5, 2020 for the Angels. Since then, he had been pitching in the minors.
Not that he showed any doubt or worry when he was on PNC Park's mound Sunday.
“No nerves,” Peters said on his emotions. “Just trying to stay within myself and stay on the same page as Jake [Stallings]. He's got a way better plan than I do.”
After being recalled from Class AAA earlier in the day, Peters gave the Pirates 4 ⅔ innings of two run ball, albeit in a losing effort, dropping the finale with the Brewers, 2-1.
It was a pair of defensive plays that cost Peters both of those runs. In the first, Colin Moran stumbled going back to the bag to try to field a wide throw from Rodolfo Castro. In the third, a Christian Yelich line drive sailed on Gregory Polanco and landed over his head.
So while Peters got the loss, it’s hard to put too much blame on him in what was, overall, a good first impression with his new club.
“He did what we expected: He commanded the ball,” Derek Shelton. “He did a nice job of keeping a very right-handed lineup off balance.”
On his radio show on 93.7 The Fan Sunday, Ben Cherington said that the team felt Peters was doing better than his results with Class AAA Salt Lake City would indicate. That's a very hitter-friendly environment, and his stuff did not play as well with hard infields and thin air.
Peters was acquired by the Pirates on July 19 from the Angels for cash considerations.
“He’s always relied on fastball command and has got really good feel for a changeup,” Cherington said. “... He [has] the combination and command to get good batters out.”
He relied on the changeup a lot Sunday, throwing it 30 times out of his 75 pitches, almost as often as his fastball.
Some of that could be attributed to the Brewers stacking their lineup with six right-handed hitters, but over the last month and a half, Peters made a change in his pitch mix, wanting to emphasize that changeup more.
“I'm successful with it,” Peters said. “I can throw it for a strike. I can throw it for a miss pitch. If they're gonna keep giving me soft contact, there's no sense to reinvent the wheel."
He kept the Brewers off balance with it Sunday, getting two of his three strikeouts out with it and holding hitters to a 1-for-7 clip with his offspeed pitch.
That, plus good control helped keep the Brewers off the barrel.
“I think he has some deception with the way he throws and with the way his ball moves and he’s got good command,” Jacob Stallings said. “Deception and command are a good combination.”
While Peters was a late addition for the start, he should get some runway with the team. Before the game, Bryse Wilson was placed on the injured list with arm fatigue. Shelton says Peters will be making at least one more start in the majors.
After bouncing between the majors and minors the last four years, it’s a chance to show he belongs in the Show.
“Feels great,” Peters said. “Go out there, pound the zone, get as deep into that ballgame as I can, and give them a chance to win. I don't think I'm going to change anything from a mentality standpoint other than it's my turn to get the ball and get as far as I can into that game.”
MORE FROM THE GAME
• After a season-high 14 runs and 19 hits in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader, the Pirates were held to just four hits in each of the final two games of the series.
I asked Stallings if getting one offensive outpouring amid this prolonged slump is frustrating.
"I don’t think it makes it any harder," he responded. "I think guys are going in and doing their best and competing. I don’t think it’s the type of situation where anyone is not playing hard or anything like that. It was nice to have a game like that. It was a great game for us to get in the win column again, but it doesn’t add or subtract to the frustration of a couple of bad games."
• That's the last time the Pirates and Brewers will meet this season. The Brewers take the season series, 14-5.
Hey, there's a reason they're in first place.
"I think they’re probably the best team in the league that nobody’s really talking about," Stallings said.
"I would be hard pressed with the people we’ve played in the National League this year that they aren’t one of the two best teams in the league," Shelton said.
• Kevin Newman's bat didn't cool off fromSaturday, going 1-for-3 with a double and three hard-hit balls (an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher).
• Duane Underwood Jr. pitched two shutout frames in the sixth and seventh. He now leads all major league relievers with 65 innings pitched.
• Before the game, the Pirates placed Bryse Wilson and Anthony Alford on the injured list. Alford is suffering from back spasms, andWilson right arm fatigue.
“It’s just general fatigue," Shelton explained. "I think he’s up around 115 innings. He threw 15 innings last year and he’s just tried so we’re going to give him a blow.”
There are no plans to shut him down for the season.
In their place, Peters was recalled from Indianapolis and Ben Gamel was activated off the injured list. Gamel went 1-for-4 batting leadoff and starting in left field, the one hit being an RBI infield single in the third inning.
Shea Spitzbarth, the 27th player for Saturday's doubleheader, was also optioned back to Indianapolis.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Scoreboard
• Standings
• Statistics
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Ben Gamel, LF
2. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
3. Bryan Reynolds, CF
4. Colin Moran, 1B
5. Jacob Stallings, C
6. Rodolfo Castro, 2B
7. Gregory Polanco, RF
8. Kevin Newman, SS
9. Dillon Peters, LHP
And for Craig Counsell's Brewers:
1. Kolten Wong, 2B
2. Willy Adames, SS
3. Eduardo Escobar, 1B
4. Christian Yelich, LF
5. Avisail Garcia, RF
6. Lorenzo Cain, CF
7. Luis Urias, 3B
8. Manny Piña, C
9. Eric Lauer, LHP
THE SCHEDULE
The Pirates are heading out to Los Angeles to start a three-game series against the Dodgers. Steven Brault (0-1, 3.00) will take the bump against a Dodgers pitcher who has yet to be named. First pitch will be at 10:10 p.m. Eastern. I've got you covered from California.
IN THE SYSTEM
• Indianapolis
• Altoona
• Greensboro
• Bradenton
THE CONTENT
Visit our team page for everything.
