Major League Baseball

Mets-Brewers preview

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:48 p.m. ET

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MILWAUKEE -- With no other viable options at the moment, the Milwaukee Brewers will stick with struggling right-hander Wily Peralta, who takes the mound Saturday as the Brewers continue a four-game series with the New York Mets at Miller Park.

Milwaukee's opening day starter in 2016 has been a mess since day one; he was tagged for five runs (four earned) in just four innings of that start and gave up 15 in his first three.

He had started to show signs of improvement with a May 20 outing against the Mets, holding them to three runs over 5 2/3 innings, but couldn't get out of the sixth in his next three outings then was shelled over 4 1/3 his last time out, against the Phillies.

"I think we're going to keep going (with Peralta)," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said after the Phillies game. "We've got five guys; he's one of our five guys. We need him. That would be my sense right now.

"I think we have to have alternatives. We have to look what's best for everybody involved. We're trying to get something out of Wily. It's getting frustrating, there's no question. It's not good enough."

It's been frustrating, too, for Peralta, whose 6.79 ERA is the highest among qualifying starting pitchers in the National League.

"I'm not doing the job that I'm supposed to do and I don't feel good," Peralta said. "I appreciate the confidence they're keeping in me and the support. It's time I step up and do my job."

Peralta will be making his sixth career start against the Mets, against whom he has a 3-2 record and 3.23 ERA.

New York (34-26) will turn to right-hander Logan Verrett for a spot start; his third of the season. The extra starter was necessary when the Mets and Pirates were rained out last Sunday and had to play a doubleheader Monday. New York manager Terry Collins had considered starting Verrett on Friday night, but scrapped that plan after using Verrett to cover two innings in the first game of the double-header.

Verrett filled in when Jacob DeGrom was sidelined in April, posting 12 scoreless innings, but allowed seven over 2 2/3 in his last start, May 14 against the Rockies.

"It was my job to pitch out of it and limit the damage and I wasn't able to do that, which was unfortunate," Verrett said after that outing. "It was all downhill from there."

In all, Verrett has appeared in 18 games this season and is 3-3 with a 3.43 ERA with 14 walks and 26 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings of work.

He's made just one career appearance against the Brewers, allowing a walk and a strikeout over two scoreless innings in a 4-1 Mets loss at Miller Park on June 24, 2015.

Milwaukee (28-33) will be looking to beat the Mets for the first time this season; the Brewers were swept in three games last month and have dropped the first two of this four-game series.

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