NewsGonzo goes yard; Peavy can't prevail
Slugger hits seventh shot; right-hander gives up five runs
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
04/26/09 9:12 PM ET
SAN DIEGO -- If there's anyone who can understand how dazzling, disturbing and often misleading numbers are, it's probably a pitcher.Jake Peavy knows that his ERA is bad, that it stands at 5.74 after the Padres dropped the final game of a three-game series against the Pirates on Sunday at PETCO Park, 8-3.
Peavy also realizes that he didn't make as many good pitches in critical situations to help himself or the Padres (10-8), which marked the second time in the past five days that one swing has hurt him greatly.
But Peavy, who allowed five runs and four walks in five innings, knows himself enough to know that starts like these -- or the one he had five days ago against the Giants where he allowed a grand slam to Edgar Renteria -- won't be the norm for him.
"The numbers say I'm struggling," Peavy said, not mincing words or discarding any sort of responsibility for his role in the Padres' fifth loss in their last six games. "In my mind I am not far off where I want to be."
Peavy (2-3) has good command early, nice late movement on his pitches and appeared to be well on his way to a start that was reminiscent of 2007 when he ran away with the Cy Young Award.
He had four strikeouts in the first two innings and even when he got himself in trouble -- like he did in the fourth inning -- Peavy appeared close to pitching his way out of the jam, when after putting two runners on, he struck out the next two hitters.
But that's when Peavy allowed a two-run single to rookie Robinzon Diaz after he retired Eric Hinske and Andy LaRoche on strikeouts. One out away from holding a 2-0 lead, the Padres and Pirates (11-7) were instead tied.
One inning later, after allowing a single to leadoff hitter Nyjer Morgan and walking No. 2 hitter, Ramon Vazquez, Peavy got an out before Adam LaRoche hit the first of two home runs, this a three-run job that landed in the right-field seats.
"I've never seen Peavy pitch like that. I've faced him a ton and I've never seen him pick or nibble at the corners the way he did," Adam LaRoche said. "When I've seen him really dominate, he's pitching off that fastball. For some reason today, he must have really not been feeling it. He went to that slider a lot and fell behind quite a bit.
"He's not a comfortable at-bat when he's not on and when he doesn't have his best stuff. Again, when I've seen him wear us out it seems like it's 90 percent fastballs."
Peavy insisted he is healthy and his velocity was certainly no different than it has been in recent starts. He chalks up what happened Sunday and what happened in the game where Molina hit the grand slam, to not pitching well in particular situations.
"It's a matter of making better pitches in those situations. I got two really good hitters out [Hinske and LaRoche] and let someone [Diaz] I have no report on get a hit there. It's not fun. I seemed like I let the game get away from me after that," Peavy said.
The game proved hard to get back, even after Adrian Gonzalez gave the Padres an early charge with a two-run home run in the first inning off Pirates starter Ross Ohlendorf (1-2), a ball that landed beyond the fence in right-center field, a record 458 feet away from home plate.
It was the seventh home run this month for Gonzalez, tying his own record that he set in 2007. He also shared the record with Ryan Klesko (2003), Rondell White (2003) and Ken Caminiti (1998).
"He's swinging it well. He crushed that ball in the first," Padres manager Bud Black said. "He's seeing the ball well and putting good swings on it."
That was about the last good swing the Padres had against Ohlendorf, who mixed pitches, threw strikes and mostly worked ahead of hitters. He allowed five hits and three runs over seven innings, leaving after Edgar Gonzalez hit a pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning.
"He's did a good job of commanding the fastball; going in and out. He threw a nice little breaking ball as well. The biggest thing was he was throwing strikes and getting ahead," Padres second baseman David Eckstein said.
As for Peavy, Black though his "stuff was fine" but agreed with Peavy's assessment that he isn't quite "there" yet.
"He's got to get ahead in the count and put guys away," Black said. "One hundred pitches over five innings is not his game."
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
