Brewers Look Like Geniuses After Surprising 'Gamble' Vs. Cardinals

The Milwaukee Brewers had a rough stretch earlier in the season but have turned things around and got another hard-fought win on Friday night.

Milwaukee took down the St. Louis Cardinals, 3-2. It was the Brewers' second staight win over the Cardinals and improved the club's record to 38-33. The Brewers are in second place in the National League Central and now have a 1 1/2-game lead over the third place Cardinals for the spot.

One thing that stood out on Friday night was the performance of ace Freddy Peralta once again. This guy has been a beast for Milwaukee. After pitching six innings of one-run ball on Friday, he now has a 2.60 ERA in 15 starts this season. He has been the dependable arm Milwaukee has needed this season in a year of turnover and injuries in the rotation.

Peralta had a big night on Friday but it seemed like it was going to end sooner than it did. With two outs in the sixth inning of the contest and Cardinals star Nolan Arenado coming up to bat, manager Pat Murphy visited the mound. Typically, this would be a sign that Peralta would be coming out. But, Murphy rolled with his guy after Peralta asked to stay in.

"I think everybody in the ballpark thought we were going to take him out," Murphy said as transcribed by MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. "I know that it was a moment for him that he could get through and maybe change some other moments in the future. So, I thought it was worth the gamble."

The decision worked and Peralta got through the inning and earned his sixth win of the season. What can't this guy do?