MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers starter Freddy Peralta left in the fourth inning of an 8-2 loss to the Washington Nationals with shoulder tightness on Sunday.
Brewers manager Craig Counsell said Peralta will undergo an MRI on Monday and will be heading to the injured list.
« Hopefully, it’s nothing that big or crazy, but it’s part of the game, » Peralta said. « We’ll see what happens. »
Peralta (3-2) left after allowing a run-scoring double to Lane Thomas during the Nationals’ six-run outburst in the fourth inning.
« I thought in the second inning, he didn’t have the same life on his fastball, » Brewers catcher Omar Narvaez said. « In the third inning, I went out to see how he felt. … I asked him how he was feeling and he said he was a little tight. I told him there’s no point this early in the season trying to be the hero . »
Washington’s six runs in the fourth marked its most productive inning of the season and matched the biggest run total the Brewers had allowed in a single inning this year. Peralta, a 2021 All-Star, entered the day having allowed just one run over 12 2/3 innings in his previous two starts.
The Nationals entered the day having dropped seven of their past nine, and they had scored a total of six runs in the seven losses. But they had an early 8-0 lead Sunday and cruised to the win in their final game before starting a seven-game homestand.
« Maybe that’ll spark something and we can get some wins over the next few weeks here and get back in it, » Thomas said.
Milwaukee didn’t retire anyone in the fourth until Nelson Cruz — the eighth batter of the inning — got thrown out trying to stretch a bloop single down the right-field line into a double. The Nationals’ first eight batters of the inning all got hits, tying a Washington franchise record for consecutive plate appearances with a hit.
« I think when guys are on a roll, they’re throwing strikes, » Thomas said. « I think we were just aggressive on pitches in the middle of the plate. That was my game plan. Pretty good fastball. It plays up a little bit. I was just going to be aggressive on the fastball and drive some runs in. »
The Brewers begin an 11-game, 10-day trip Monday in San Diego. Adrian Houser (3-4) will start for Milwaukee.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
