NewsPeavy to get extra rest before next start
Padres right-hander dealing with right ankle tendinitis
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
05/31/09 3:31 PM ET
DENVER -- For only the second time this season, Padres pitcher Jake Peavy won't pitch on normal rest, as he'll get an extra day of rest to let the tendinitis in his right ankle subside before pitching Tuesday.San Diego manager Bud Black said Sunday that Peavy will pitch Tuesday in the second of three games against the defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies at PETCO Park.
This is a day later than what would have been Peavy's normal turn in the rotation, though he has been hobbled to some degree by an ankle injury he suffered running the bases in his start on May 22 against the Chicago Cubs.
Peavy, who turned 28 on Sunday, went 6 1/3 innings in his last start on May 27 against Arizona, allowing eight hits and four runs before leaving the game. The Padres felt that Peavy was more upright in his delivery in that start, which had the potential to interfere with his mechanics.
"[Pitching coach Darren Balsley] thought he was standing up taller and that maybe he was having trouble getting on top of his pitches," Black said.
As recently as Friday, Peavy, who is 5-5 with a 3.67 ERA this season, was hobbling on his ankle. But he spent the past two days with the training staff and went as far to wear a protective boot to bed to hold his foot in a neutral position so that it healed properly.
Peavy lauded the work of the training staff, Todd Hutcheson, Paul Navarro, strength and conditioning coach Jim Malone and sports therapist Phillip Kerr.
"I feel better today," Peavy said on Saturday. "I have gotten multiple treatment sessions yesterday. These guys are as good as they come. I've made a lot of progress in the last 24 hours."
The Padres return to PETCO Park on Monday to face the Phillies. Kevin Correia gets the start in the first game.
The only other time this season Peavy didn't pitch on his regular fifth day was on May 12 in Chicago, but that was because the day he would have started , May 11, fell on an off-day.
"It's good to know he won't be missing a start because of the ankle problems," Black said.
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
