Bud Black has done a masterful job of managing San Diego Padres pitcher Jake Peavy.Black continues to move Peavy up in the rotation after off days to maximize his ace’s production, especially at home.
Through Black’s maneuverability, Peavy has pitched the first and last games on each of the last two homestands. In fact, Peavy will make his first road start in his last five appearances when he pitches tonight at Washington.
Not that the star right-hander has failed away from home. In his last road start May 6 at Florida, he allowed just one run and one hit in seven innings while striking out 10 and earning the victory.
Oh, and there’s another part to Black’s strategy of pitching Peavy tonight and moving Justin Germano back to tomorrow.
It means that the Padres top three starters – Chris Young, Greg Maddux and Peavy – will likely pitch in that order during a three-game home series against the hated Los Angeles Dodgers that starts Tuesday.
This blog first predicted on April 27 that Peavy would be the National League’s All-Star starting pitcher this year. That hasn’t changed with his 7-1 record and 1.47 ERA.
Black deserves credit for doing an all-star job of setting up Peavy in his rotation.
1 comment:
Excellent column...Peavy's overall road numbers have been phenomenal -- he's actually pitched better on the road, but as you point out, he hasn't pitched as often away from Petco. The media have done a decent job of recognizing Peavy's great start to the season, but I see a lot of disclaimers about the benefits of pitching in Petco -- but nobody (except for you) really points out that he has been amazing on the road.
Patrick, San Diego
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