The American League East is getting tight, and the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox all made moves at the trade deadline to try and ensure a division title.
One of the moves the Rays made was acquiring Freddy Peralta from the New York Mets. After a few seasons as the Milwaukee Brewers' ace, Peralta was struggling in Queens. He was having the worst season of his career, and those struggles continued in his first start with the Rays.
The Rays won 9-7 in extra innings, but all seven runs were charged to Peralta. The bullpen covered 7 1/3 innings after Peralta failed to go four innings. He gave up nine hits, walked one batter and surrendered two homers. Five of the runs came thanks to home runs by Mickey Moniak and Willi Castro.
It is worth noting that the Rays have a strong track record of getting the best out of pitchers and have done more with less. Peralta is a two-time All-Star who had a 2.70 ERA just last season. It's also worth noting that he was bitten by two big home runs, and the game did take place at Coors Field.
Coors Field is not an easy place to pitch, and even great pitchers struggle there. Peralta could look much better in his next start with more time working with the Rays coaching staff. Simply pitching in a better environment may be enough to help him get back on track.
