Brewers ace making late push for NL Cy Young award

Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball since Aug. 1.

Peralta has allowed just one run on 13 hits and 15 walks over 33 innings since the beginning of August, striking out 42 batters. He entered Tuesday with a 29-inning scoreless streak, the longest scoreless streak in the majors this season, per Stats Perform. His scoreless streak is the fifth longest in Brewers history, with three fewer innings than closer Josh Hader's 32 inning scoreless streak from Aug. 1, 2021 through June 5, 2022. He still has a long way to go for the major league record, held by former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser, who had a 59-inning scoreless streak to close out the 1988 season.

This run has been an exclamation point on an impressive season. Peralta has posted a 2.50 ERA and a 1.071 WHIP over his 158.2 innings this season, striking out 176 batters with 61 walks. He leads the majors with 16 wins and is in the top 10 in the National League in ERA (second), WHIP (sixth) and strikeouts (ninth).

Peralta's surge has been noticed when it comes to the NL Cy Young award. BetMGM lists Peralta as having the third-best odds, but he is far behind Pirates ace Paul Skenes and Phillies pitcher Christopher Sanchez. 

While Peralta is unlikely to surpass Skenes and/or Sanchez, he is likely to earn some down ballot votes. Any such votes would be the first Peralta has received in the Cy Young balloting despite being a two-time All-Star. A third-place finish would provide recognition for what has been a quietly impressive season for Peralta.