Coming off something of a radical surgery, Jake Peavy had to have reasonable expectations once he got back on the mound. He wouldn't always feel strong, he wouldn't always feel like he used to, and doctors told him it could take 12-18 months to regain full strength in his shoulder. Jake Peavy could pitch, and Jake Peavy could be effective, but Jake Peavy couldn't necessarily be Jake Peavy, and it would be silly for him to expect as much of himself.
White Sox Vs. Red Sox: Jake Peavy Has Nothing, Throws Seven Strong Innings Anyway In Win
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Indeed, in his fourth start back on Monday night against the Red Sox, Peavy wasn't feeling it. It was a scuffle from the get-go, and in his own words:
“It was just a grind. I really had nothing...I think I’m going to have to alter my program on the days I pitch, throw a little longer to see if I can get loose.”
And he still threw seven good innings to earn a win over one of the best teams in baseball.
Monday, a struggling-but-effective Peavy out-dueled a most ineffective Jon Lester, and the White Sox kicked off a three-game set in Fenway by beating the hosts 7-3.
Chicago got off to a quick start in the first, loading the base with one out and scoring two on A.J. Pierzynski's single up the middle. The Red Sox got a run back in the bottom when Adrian Gonzalez launched a solo home run against his old San Diego teammate, but the White Sox got that run back in the third when Paul Konerko left the yard for the 11th time this season.
The Red Sox knotted the score in the bottom of the third when Jarrod Saltalamacchia reached on a hit-by-pitch, Jacoby Ellsbury doubled, and Dustin Pedroia drove both runners home with a single. At that point, it was a whole new ballgame.
But from there, Peavy buckled down while Lester did not. The two traded zeroes into the sixth, when the White Sox loaded the bases against Lester with two out. Up stepped Alexei Ramirez, and Ramirez fought off a two-strike pitch to drop a blooper behind first base for a two-run double that chased Lester from the game. In came Dan Wheeler, and Wheeler immediately allowed a two-run single to Carlos Quentin. Where minutes earlier the Fenway crowd was on its feet in a tie game, hoping for an inning-ending strikeout of Ramirez, suddenly the visitors were up 7-3.
The Red Sox would put two on in the sixth and again in the eighth, but they wouldn't score, and Matt Thornton slammed the door with a scoreless, two-strikeout ninth.
In response to Lester’s rough game, the Red Sox have pushed his next start back two days to give him a little extra rest. Peavy, meanwhile, gets the confidence boost of knowing he won against the Red Sox without having his best stuff. If there’s one thing Jake Peavy needs, it’s more confidence.
Tuesday, Phil Humber goes up against Alfredo Aceves in a matchup we wouldn't have predicted two months ago.
For more on the White Sox and Red Sox, please visit team blogs South Side Sox and Over The Monster.
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