Peralta tries calling own pitches again, but 5 walks follow
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NEW YORK -- If calling his own pitches helped Freddy Peralta’s conviction, it didn’t help his control.
Calling his own pitches for the second consecutive start on Saturday, Peralta walked five batters, including two to lead off innings, while allowing two runs in a 4-0 loss to the Red Sox at Citi Field. The performance slightly decreased Peralta’s ERA to 4.66 heading into the All-Star break, with the Trade Deadline looming less than three weeks after that.
“So far, I haven’t done what I’m supposed to do,” Peralta said. “I’m working on it. It’s crazy because at the end of the day, everything can change -- talking about myself, about my season. I’m just focused on that, and I know that I trust in myself. I know that I control that.”
Although Peralta looked dominant in striking out the side in the first inning, he became notably less efficient in the second inning, stranding the bases loaded. The Red Sox finally broke through following a leadoff walk in the fourth, when Andruw Monasterio hit a two-run homer. Peralta was out of the game an inning later, having recorded just 13 outs on 92 pitches.
When asked what most frustrated him about the outing, Peralta answered plainly: “The walks.”
“It’s a terrible, terrible feeling coming out before the fifth inning,” Peralta said. “I’ve been struggling, and I’m just working on it, trying to navigate through this. It’s been difficult, but not impossible for me. I never lose the hope. Just keep working -- that’s what I keep telling myself. And at some point, I’m going to navigate through it.”
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Amidst a poor season, the right-hander began calling some of his own pitches last time out, with solid early results. But despite calling around a half dozen of his own pitches again on Saturday, the effectiveness did not carry over into Saturday’s outing.
Peralta has a maximum of four more starts before the Trade Deadline, which is Aug. 3. He can become a free agent after the season if the Mets don’t deal him.
“To me, it’s just keep attacking the zone, keep trusting the stuff,” interim manager Andy Green said. “The fastball really plays.”