We humbly submit that Jake Peavy is no longer a consistent Major League starter. Fortunately he found other ways to help his team on Saturday.
Peavy made a defensive play to save a potential tying run and added a bases-loaded single that drove in two as the Giants toppled the Miami Marlins 7-2 at AT&T Park.
Peavy finds a way to help himself. (SFGate) |
The Don't-Call-Us-Florida Fish have been a conundrum for San Francisco since their inception so it's surprising Miami has allowed the Giants to put together two wins for the first time since opening week.
Bet they'll take it just the same.
Peavy teetered on the edge of disaster more than once but gave the Giants seven innings, allowing seven hits and two runs. That's bonus territory for Peavy, who's been a six-inning (or less) pitcher pretty much since his arrival in San Francisco. The cost of 14 big league seasons is apparent; his ceiling appears to be two trips through the order. On nights his slider shows up, he can get 18 outs. When it doesn't .....
Kinda like watching that tsunami coming at you and knowing there's nowhere to run. This time the waters parted. Holy Moses.
It also didn't hurt that San Francisco jumped on Jose Fernandez early, getting three hits and a pair of runs in the top of the first to get the evening off on the right foot.
It was a night for guys hoping to rebound. In addition to Peavy's outing, Matt Duffy continued his recent success, Buster Posey showed signs he's hearing up, and Kelby Tomlinson snapped a 2-for-16 funk with and RBI single.
The Giants posted two-run uprisings in the first, fourth and seventh and are probably still kicking themselves to not getting more.
The Marlins' pen allowed a triple (Gregor Blanco) and four singles (Tomlinson, Duffy, Denard Span, Joe Panik) but just two runs. Span was caught trying to steal on a call that makes one question the value of replay, and Hunter Pence whiffed with the bases loaded to end the home seventh.
The Giants jumped in front when Panik, Duffy and Posey strung together first inning singles and Brandon Belt added a sac fly. Peavy's hit in the fourth plated Belt (walk) Pence (double), and came after Blanco was intentionally walked.
The Marlins apparently feared Blanco with good reason. The hitting star of the night had two hits (both triples) plus the walk in four plate appearance, scoring twice. An insurance run in the eighth was keyed by his second three-bagger, with Angel Pagan's fly ball doing the honors.
Also hot with the stick is Duffy, who got the proverbial "day off" last Monday and has since raised his average by 80 points, going 9-for-19.
While Peavy squared his 2016 mark at 1-2, Fernandez falls to 1-2 and continues his perplexing history. The Miami ace is awesome at home, posting an 18-1 career mark, but tonight's road loss was his 10th in 15 decisions.
Can he pitch again tomorrow?
Despite going 3-7 over their last 10 games, including that God-awful four-game home sweep versus Arizona, the Giants (9-10) can crawl back to the .500 mark by sweeping the Fish (5-11) on Sunday. Matt Cain (0-2, 6.46 ERA) hopes to pitch past the fifth inning while the suddenly potent Giants look to light up Adam Conley (0-1, 4.61).
NOTE: We've been out of action for three days for some R&R and have yet to find a suitable sub who works for the same wages we do (uh, free). Applications are being accepted.
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