Peavy was making his first since July 6, when his latissimus dorsi muscle tore away from the bone. Coincidentally, he was facing the Angels in that game too.
“You got to get in jams and feel your way through it,” Peavy said afterward. “Deeper into the game it’s like riding a bike. I felt comfortable tonight, threw strikes, had command, threw all kind of pitches. If I get a quality start and maybe give up a run or two maybe we win in regulation. But I’ll never complain about a White Sox win.”
The right-hander has had two setbacks since the start of spring training, one for rotator cuff tendinitis and the other because of discomfort from scar tissue.
“This guy, I appreciate him more because he worked so hard to be back so quick,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said before the game about Peavy. “If it was me, I would say [no way], I will take my time. I’m not flying all over the United States to pitch. You guys have to pay me and I will take my time.
“This guy was everywhere and did everything the doctors say, everything the trainers say and the general manager say, everything the pitching coach say. He did it right away and he did it right. That’s why I have more respect for him than anybody else.”
Peavy’s worst inning came in the third, when the Angels scored two runs. Speedy outfielder Peter Bourjos led off with a triple, while Erick Aybar and Hunter each had RBI singles.
The final Angels run off Peavy came in the sixth inning. Howie Kendrick reached base on a two-out bunt single and stole second, although television replays appeared to show that Alexei Ramirez‘s tag at the bag was in time. Alberto Callaspo followed with an RBI single.
“I can’t say I was surprised,” Peavy said. “I felt the way I expected. A game, you try to play it out in your mind and want it to go smoother than it went but if I could reverse a few plays and give up [only] a run or two … if that’s the case, I could have gone longer and it would have been a real nice start.”
The White Sox’s offense struggled once again. Adam Dunn crushed a third-inning home run, but the White Sox were otherwise unable to get to rookie pitcher Tyler Chatwood despite multiple chances. They rallied late but it only got Peavy off the hook for a defeat.
“We talked about trying to hit spots and he was doing that,” catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “He made a couple mistakes. But for the first time out there, you can’t expect him to be perfect. He made a pretty good pitch to [Maicer] Izturis and made a mistake to Torii with two strikes. He made a few mistakes here and there and hung a slider to Bourjos for a triple, but other than that, he was good. You can’t fault Jake. He kept us in the game, and he gave us a chance to win in the end.”
Doug Padilla – ESPNChicago.com
Source: Bleacher Report
Photo: www.wsbt.com