Peralta brothers appreciate chance to catch up in series between Freddy's Brewers and Luis' Rockies

DENVER (AP) — Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta spent 30 minutes Wednesday standing on the grass at Coors Field chatting it up with a Colorado Rockies reliever.

It's the same reliever with whom he went for coffee hours earlier and dined with the night before.

Simply another chance to catch up with his younger brother, Luis.

The brothers from the Dominican Republic are taking full advantage of every opportunity to talk over a three-game series in Denver. Although they chat virtually every day, there’s nothing like face-to-face time. And while mom and dad couldn’t make it to Denver, the family is planning a reunion when Colorado plays at Milwaukee in late June.

“We’re a very close family,” said Freddy Peralta, 28, who saw his brother allow one unearned run Wednesday night over 1 2/3 innings. “It’s very special for me to spend time with him. I enjoy all these moments, because we never know for how long we are going to be (together in the majors). This is a dream coming true for us.”

The brothers certainly had plenty to discuss Tuesday night after Freddy went five solid innings and allowed one run to pick up his first win of the season. The plan was to find a restaurant somewhere downtown. But Luis invited him back to his apartment for homemade arepas, a popular Latin American flatbread stuffed with all sorts of fillings.

“They were so good,” Freddy said.

Same with the company, which is why they met for coffee before Wednesday’s game.

Freddy beams when talking about his 24-year-old brother. This is the kid who used to follow Freddy to the baseball fields and the kid he used to smash grounders at with all his power, just to see how well he could handle them. The kid who means so much to him.

“He wants to be kind of like me — a hard worker, and wanting to learn,” Freddy said. “He’s always asking people around him, players around him, how to get better. That’s very impressive, especially at his age, a young guy, asking for help. He’s such a competitor.”

For that, Luis knows where to give credit.

“(Freddy) taking care of me all the time, taking me to the field, being disciplined in the game,” Luis said through a translator. “I learned that from my brother.”

Freddy began his baseball odyssey by signing as an amateur free agent with Seattle in 2013. On Dec. 9, 2015, the Mariners traded him along with two other pitchers to Milwaukee for Adam Lind. Freddy is now in his eighth season with the Brewers, going 54-37 with a 3.75 ERA.

Each season when he came home, Freddy would take Luis to workouts and practices with him. An outfielder at the time, Luis began focusing on pitching at around 15.

“It was the right decision," Freddy said of the switch with a laugh.

Luis was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2017 before being traded to the Rockies last July. He’s gone 1-1 with a 2.16 ERA in 20 appearances out of the bullpen. He's leaned on his brother for advice, too, especially last season as a rookie.

“He's a nice guy, but I made sure he understood to be a nice guy. If (veterans) ask you to do something, just do it," Freddy recounted. “I told him, ‘Just be yourself whenever you come to the field. ... Be nice and be humble.' He’s that way. I just remind him just in case. I’m very proud of him.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Colorado Rockies pitcher Luis Peralta (41) delivers to the Tampa Bay Rays during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) reacts at the end of the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta works against the Colorado Rockies in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Luis Peralta works against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

PHOENIX (AP) — Opting out has become the in thing to do.

Every year, players regularly choose not to play in bowl games, some wary of injuries affecting their pro prospects, others leaving for another school or sitingt out after a coaching change.

Entire teams even opt out.

Minnesota still finds plenty of reasons to embrace the bowl experience, even when the chase for a national championship ended long before the postseason starts.

The Gophers are pretty good at it, too, heading into Friday's Rate Bowl against New Mexico on an eight-game bowl winning streak. That's the FBS' longest active streak, the longest ever by a Big Ten Conference team and fourth longest in college football history, three behind Florida State's record of 11 from 1985-95.

“Our players take the bowl games very, very seriously. They love football, and they want to play football,” said coach P.J. Fleck, who is 6-0 in bowl games and in his ninth season with the Gophers. “We take a lot of pride in developing that type of mindset here at the University of Minnesota. I just respect the game wholeheartedly. You want to coach players who respect the game.”

The majority of bowl games this century have long been second-tier events, and the advent of the 12-team College Football Playoff has further cemented that status. The constant December upheaval around the game with coaching staff changes and transfer-portal entries has made the bowls even more of an afterthought.

But not if the Gophers (7-5) can help it.

“It’s just another opportunity to spend another month with the guys, and travel, and go to a cool place, spend some time together and celebrate the season that we put together,” Minnesota linebacker Maverick Baranowski said. “All the bowls have been a blast so far.”

New Mexico has gone through three coaches and eight seasons since its last bowl appearance, in the 2016 New Mexico Bowl.

The Lobos appear to be on the rise in their first season under coach Jason Eck.

Picked to finish 11th in the 12-team Mountain West Conference, New Mexico (9-3) won nine games for the second time since 2008 and closed the season on a six-game winning streak — the longest since 1997.

The Lobos set a school record for total offense at 484.5 yards per game and their defense is allowing 113.4 yards rushing per game, nearly 100 yards less than last season.

“We’ve been able to break down some walls and break down some barriers for the University of New Mexico that they haven’t been able to do for a while,” Eck said.

Drake Lindsey had a solid debut at quarterback in place of Max Brosmer, now with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent.

The 6-foot-5 redshirt freshman ranked in the middle of the pack in most passing statistics in the 18-team Big Ten, but he had six touchdown passes and two rushing scores without a turnover over the final six games.

It would have been easy for Lindsey to opt out of the bowl game, but he wasn't having any of it.

“When you have relationships with the coaches that are so good, and they’re continuing to pour into me, pour into the players around me, it’s an easy decision,” he said.

AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

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FILE - New Mexico head coach Jason Eck reacts during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Michigan, Aug. 30, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)

FILE - Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsay looks for an opening to pass against Ohio State during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Oct. 4, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

FILE - Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck leads his team out of the tunnel before an NCAA college football against Michigan State, Nov. 1, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, File)