Major League Baseball

Peavy in harsh spotlight at Wrigley

Published Jun. 11, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

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No more hockey. No other baseball on TV. Just the Cubs and the White Sox and 40,000 tipsy frenemies, all gathered beneath the big spotlight in the sky on Friday afternoon.

Yes, both teams have losing records. So what? It’s early. The beer will be cold. And then there’s the biggest plotline of all:

Jake Peavy can prove to the entire town, all at once, that he doesn’t stink.

If there is to be a revival for him in the Second City, it should start today.

The numbers – 7-5 with a 4.95 ERA – say that Peavy hasn’t done much since the White Sox acquired him from San Diego last July 31. After all, he has been an active member of the White Sox rotation for all of 12 weeks. (He convalesced from a right ankle injury during his first month and a half with the team.)

The 2010 season has been an exercise in futility for the right-hander and his mates. The White Sox lead the league in finger-pointing, more off the field than on. Peavy has delivered just four quality starts in 12 tries.

Veteran readers will note that Cy Young Award winners don’t often morph into the late-career Aaron Sele. Statistically, we might wonder if that has happened to Peavy. But to hear him say it, there is a simple explanation for all of this.

His mechanics have been profoundly messed up.

In his haste to return from the bum ankle last year, Peavy adopted less-than-optimal mechanics. He wasn’t in shape. He was hesitant to push off his ankle. His fastball lost velocity. But he still posted a 1.35 ERA in three starts.

He now realizes that this was “the worst thing that could have happened.”

That’s because, upon Peavy’s arrival at spring training, he returned to the same (incorrect) mechanics he used at the end of 2009 – and not those that enabled him to win 19 games not long ago. Peavy didn’t realize it. The White Sox apparently didn’t realize it – or order him to change.

So, the habits went from bad to worse. The result: 0-2 with a 7.85 ERA in April.

By the time Peavy discovered what had happened, it was as if he had worn the wrong contact lenses for a month. (That would give you a splitting headache.)

“My arm angle was a foot different,” Peavy said. “It was the first time I’ve been this mechanically out of whack. They were not my mechanics.”

Now, supposedly, they are.

His last start – seven innings, two earned runs – was better. He believes he’s “working through” the dead-arm phase that had raised alarms about his health. Manager Ozzie Guillen noted that Peavy’s velocity has improved, too.

Knowing this, patient White Sox fans will give Peavy a mulligan on his 2010 season. All three of them.

Skeptics may say that Peavy is in denial, that he has lost his stuff at the tender age of 29. I disagree. And we should know more by sunset on Friday, because Peavy has every reason to put together a good start on the North Side.

He says that his delivery is all better now. He is playing a game under National League rules – his preference – for the first time in just over a year. He loves Wrigley Field.

Which reminds us … Wasn’t there a rumor or two about Peavy becoming a Cub in the winter of ’08-’09?

“That was something that, at times, was probably close to happening,” Peavy said. “It’s something I was excited about. I love the city of Chicago. At the time, I wanted to be part of a franchise that was committed to winning.

“I have a ton of respect for (Cubs general manager) Jim Hendry and the people over there. I’ve got some history (in San Diego) with Alan Trammell. I know what a great man and good baseball person he is.

“I was really excited about that. It just wasn’t meant to be. It didn’t happen. I’m here now, making the best of this. And I’m happy to be here.”

Good thing, too. He’s not going to leave the White Sox anytime soon. Including this year’s salary, Peavy will earn $52 million through the 2012 season. Not an easy contract to move. If changes are coming, as general manager Kenny Williams has hinted, they probably won’t involve Peavy.

And they shouldn’t, either.

Peavy’s reputation in Chicago can change very quickly. He’s extroverted and intensely competitive, two traits that play well here. White Sox fans want to like him, particularly when other recognizable players (A.J. Pierzynski) may be playing elsewhere in 2011 and perhaps before.

Sunday marks the one-year anniversary of the date the Padres placed Peavy on the DL because of the strained ankle. Twelve months later, it’s time for Peavy to prove that he can be the dominant pitcher he once was.

“I expect to be who I’ve always been,” Peavy said, sounding quite convinced that all of this will return to normal very soon. Good for him. But to win over the public in a championship town, he must deliver soon. As in today.

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