Major League Baseball

White Sox RHP Peavy looks to build on strong start

Published Apr. 21, 2012 9:20 a.m. ET

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The arm is fine, the shoulder is sound and the legs are strong. There are no scheduled surgeries. No minor league rehab starts, either.

Jake Peavy is free to worry about pitching again.

''I'm so blessed to be healthy,'' he said. ''I know that it's been a long grind with you guys and the fans and everybody to get me to this point. But I am healthy. Like I said, I don't know what I can be or can't be now after what I've gone through, but I can promise you my effort and preparation is going to be there.''

That's more than enough for the Chicago White Sox, who are just happy to have Peavy back on the mound. A slew of injuries over the past three seasons cast doubt on whether the right-hander would return to the form that led to the 2007 NL Cy Young Award with San Diego.

After three solid starts this season, it looks as if the 30-year-old Peavy has plenty left.

''He can pitch,'' White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko said. ''I mean that's never been a debate over whether he can have command and hit spots and make pitches. That's never been the issue. It's just a matter of health and him being out there. So it's great to see.''

Peavy was hit hard during a couple of spring starts but stayed positive, mentioning repeatedly how great it was to be healthy again. And when the season started, he was ready to go.

He made his 2012 debut in Texas and tossed six effective innings in a no-decision against the two-time defending AL champion Rangers. He drew another tough lineup for his second start and pitched into the seventh inning in a 5-2 victory over Detroit in Chicago's home opener.

But the most positive sign for Peavy and the White Sox came on Wednesday night, when he pitched seven crisp innings in an 8-1 victory against Baltimore. It was his longest outing since he pitched eight shutout innings at Minnesota on August 7.

''You don't do the things that Jake's done over his career and not have that drive,'' Orioles manager Buck Showalter said, ''and that's the one thing that people describe him. He's a good teammate and really competes and there's a lot more than just competing between the lines. You almost have to compete with yourself sometimes, to push yourself to overcome some things.''

Peavy improved to 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA over 19 2-3 innings. He also has 21 strikeouts to just two walks, a ratio that harkens back to his Cy Young season, when he had a major league-best 240 Ks and only 68 walks.

''I should throw strikes. That's part of being in the big leagues,'' said Peavy, who will make his next start Monday at Oakland. ''I'm going to find out where I stand. I told you guys, one way or the other, something's going to happen in a hurry. I'm going to throw it in there and find out where we stand.''

The White Sox acquired Peavy in a deadline deal in 2009, sending four young pitchers to the Padres to complete the trade. He was injured at the time of the move, sidelined by a strained tendon in his right ankle, and his comeback was slowed when he was hit on the elbow by a line drive during a minor league rehab game. But he managed to make three starts with his new team, going 3-0 with a 1.35 ERA.

Peavy made 17 starts in 2010 and was just starting to pick up steam when he hopped off the mound and immediately walked to the dugout after throwing a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels. The diagnosis was a detached muscle in the back of his right shoulder - a rare injury that led to season-ending surgery.

Then there was rotator cuff tendinitis during spring training last year and a trip to the disabled list for a mild right groin strain before he was shut down in September so he could rest and hopefully return to full strength for this season.

So far, it appears the conservative strategy may have worked.

''I never was over here healthy,'' Peavy said. ''I mean even the start of 2010 we were battling arm issues and still trying to get my ankle up underneath me and piece the mechanics together. So this is the first time I've truly worried about pitching and I feel blessed to do that.''

It was a long road back to this point for Peavy, who hasn't made more than 18 starts in a season since 2008. This season has just started, but his comeback has added to his reputation around baseball as a hard worker.

Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, who battled back from a rotator cuff injury early in his career, said the fact that Peavy is pitching effectively again after the serious shoulder injury says something about who he is as a player.

''You learn how to pitch and you know you can still get hitters out,'' he said. ''You know you haven't lost the competitiveness. Specifically about him, I always heard that he was max-effort guy, that he was a great competitor. So none of those things change. I just think that you just go out and you still react to how the hitters react to you and you take your chances.''

Robin Ventura took over as White Sox manager in October, but he has already seen Peavy's competitive nature firsthand. The right-hander lobbied to extend his outing against the Rangers, but Ventura stayed with his plan.

''He wants to stay in,'' Ventura said. ''I like that. I like to see that.''

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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap

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