Brewers go ahead early in win over Blue Jays
TORONTO -- Wily Peralta took pleasure in spoiling Toronto's opening day party.
Keon Broxton and Domingo Santana hit solo home runs, Peralta pitched six innings for his second victory in two starts and the Milwaukee Brewers beat Toronto 4-3 on Tuesday night, handing the slumping Blue Jays their sixth straight home opening loss.
"I felt like that was my opening day," Peralta said. "A lot of energy, the crowd was loud all night. I love pitching in games like that."
Peralta (2-0) allowed three runs and five hits. He walked four and struck out seven.
Pitching in front of a full house of 48,456, Peralta said he was fired up from the start.
"You feel great," he said. "It gets your adrenaline going right away, from the first inning. When the crowd gets you going like that, you know you're going to have to really pitch."
Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell praised Peralta for channeling the energy of the occasion in a positive fashion.
"He did a nice job," Counsell said. "He kind of used all that to get him through and keep making pitches."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE0pT40_hjQ
Troy Tulowitzki had two of the five hits off Peralta, both RBI doubles, and added a sacrifice fly, but said it wasn't easy facing the Brewers right-hander.
"He's got plus stuff," Tulowitzki said. "He's good."
The last-place Blue Jays fell to 1-6, the worst start in franchise history. Three of Toronto's six losses have been one-run decisions.
"We're not in a good spot, that's for sure," left-hander J.A. Happ said. "We're just not playing good enough to win games."
The Blue Jays have not won a home opener since beating Minnesota in 2011.
"We needed this game," manager John Gibbons said. "We wanted this game."
Toronto's misfiring offense was without one of its biggest threats in third baseman Josh Donaldson, who was held out of the starting lineup with a sore right calf. The 2015 AL MVP, who left Sunday's loss at Tampa Bay, came on as a pinch hitter in the ninth and struck out on a 3-2 pitch for the second out.
Jacob Barnes pitched the seventh, Corey Knebel worked the eighth and Neftali Feliz finished for his second save.
"Those three guys were really, really good," Counsell said.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss0g0dPutcY
Both Milwaukee homers came off Happ (0-2), who gave up four runs and nine hits in 4 2-3 innings.
Broxton connected in the first, his first. One out later, Travis Shaw tripled to center and scored on Santana's single.
"It was a little bit of a feast or famine night, but we drove some balls really well," Counsell said.
Toronto's Russell Martin went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and is hitless in 18 at-bats, the worst start to a season in his career. He went hitless in his first 17 at-bats in 2013.
Tulowitzki batted against Barnes with runners at first and second with two outs in the seventh, but grounded into a fielder's choice.
Blue Jays DH Kendrys Morales had three hits, all singles.
FLIP OUT
Brewers SS Orlando Arcia fielded Devon Travis' ground ball in the seventh and used his glove to flip the ball behind him to Jonathan Villar at second base, forcing out Ryan Goins.
COOPERSTOWN CONNECTION
Hall of Famer and former Montreal Expos star Tim Raines threw out the first pitch to fellow Hall of Famer and Blue Jays great Roberto Alomar.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Blue Jays: RHP Roberto Osuna (neck) was activated off the 10-day disabled list and RHP Casey Lawrence was optioned to Triple-A. Osuna pitched a scoreless ninth.
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Chase Anderson (0-0) took a no-decision in his season-opening start, allowing one run in six innings against Colorado last week. He has never faced Toronto.
Blue Jays: RHP Marcus Stroman (1-0) makes his second start of the season, and his first career appearance against Milwaukee. Stroman allowed one run in 6 1-3 innings against Tampa Bay last week.
