Freddy Peralta allowed one hit and struck out eight in six scoreless innings as the visiting Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-2 on Friday night.
Peralta (16-5) walked one batter and hit another while winning his fourth straight decision, adding to his major-league-leading victory total.
Andruw Monasterio hit a solo home run for the Brewers. Andrew Vaughn added three hits and two RBIs in the opener of a three-game series featuring the teams with the two best records in the majors.
Toronto’s Shane Bieber (1-1) struck out the side in the first inning of his home debut and his second start as a Blue Jay. He had missed more than a year following Tommy John surgery. The right-hander wound up allowing two runs, five hits and no walks with six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
Monasterio opened the scoring when he led off the sixth with a home run to left on a 3-2 hanging slider. Brice Turang followed with a single to extend his hit streak to 12 games, and Brendon Little replaced Bieber with one out. Christian Yelich walked and Andrew Vaughn grounded an RBI single to left.
Louis Varland replaced Little and allowed Caleb Durbin’s RBI single to right-center. Isaac Collins then lined a two-run double into the right field corner to cap a five-run inning.
Milwaukee added two runs against Justin Bruihl in the seventh. Turang singled with one out, took third on William Contreras’ double into the left field corner and scored on a contact play as Yelich grounded out to second. Vaughn’s single to right drove in Contreras to make it 7-0.
Aaron Ashby replaced Peralta in the seventh and allowed a single to Bo Bichette, who stretched his hit streak to 13 games. Daulton Varsho was hit on the hand by a pitch and Myles Straw ran for him. Alejandro Kirk walked to load the bases. Davis Schneider hit a two-run single to left before the inning ended when Andres Gimenez grounded into a double play.
Toronto had two runners on base with two outs in the third against Peralta after a hit batter and a walk. Peralta struck out Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to end the threat.
Bieber retired nine in a row before Collins singled to right with two out in the fifth.
