Peavy bravely helps Giants avoid sweep!

In every group, there's that guy. You know the type; the one who (s) tells the group "We've got work tomorrow and it's getting late", or (b) does a full Pee Wee Herman on the bar -- either taking place just as the gaggle of slightly-tipsy lingerie models comes sauntering through the door. We hate that guy, and we can't get an answer as to why someone hasn't already stuffed into a locker or the nearest waste can.

Peavy in action.

His name is usually Jake Peavy.

San Francisco's biggest albatross since Barry Zito struck again on Wednesday, doing his level best to secure a break-even road trip in a 7-4 loss at Cincinnati. The Giants finish the trip at 3-3 and head back to friendlier climes with Colorado coming into AT&T Park tomorrow night.

   

Peavy did what Peavy does so well; pitch batting practice. He came into the contest with an 8.61 ERA and a horrifying 2.0 WHIP and actually found a way to make it worse. He lasted six innings, but only because you don't waste good arms in a lost cause.

Belt gives the G-Men an early lead. (Getty Images)

It had looked oh so promising. Brandon Belt lashed a solo homer to start the second inning and it seemed the Giants were on their way to a sweep. Then Peavy strode to the mound for the home half of the frame and stepped on every land mine imaginable.

Peavy would see homer, double, homer from the first three hitters, and that was just the warm-up act. He would also walk Adam Duvall before getting an out, then seemed to settle down with a pair of strikeouts. At that point we're figuring "It's 3-1, hold them here and the offense can get these back." 

Yeah, right. We almost forgot who was pitching. Almost. Then Zack Cozart squared up Peavy's third home run ball of the frame and the Giants were in a 5-1 hole. Three more hits in the third made is 6-1 and it could have been worse had Brandon Phillips not been caught stealing.

Note to Reds manager Brian Price: You don;t have to steal when the pitcher is willing to put the ball on a tee and you're abusing him like he's Rihanna on a sleepover at Chris Brown's house.

Peavy's final, ahem, contribution came in the sixth when Duvall, apparently angry at being left out of the earlier long-ball party took Peavy deep. Yep, that's right. Four home runs. Generally the only guy on the diamond who endures that experience is doing while pitching from behind a screen.

Gillaspie accept congrats...watch the hands! (AP)

The Giants offense did protest. Conor Gillaspie took Reds starter Dan Straily deep in the fourth and a Buster Posey sacrifice fly got another tally in the seventh. They'd add yet another in the ninth and get the tying run as close as the on-deck circle but the early damage was just too much to overcome.

Peavy did strike out eight but the same number of hits, four of which are likely destined for someone's den or E-Bay. He only walked one, which makes sense. Why take when there are some many hittable pitches?   

In six starts he's thrown just 29 innings, less than five per outing. His ERA is now an even 9, and putting those two number together means he's good for five enemy runs every time he takes the mound. The Giants score five per game themselves, so you do the math. Anything less than an above-average offensive performance spells doom.

Peavy told Giants beat writer Chris Haft the homers were due to poor execution, not lack of stuff, but it seems the two go hand in hand. Clearly Peavy executes poorly more often than is desireble. Meanwhile Manager Bruce Bochy also told the Merc's Andrew Baggarly that "It's not how you start, it's how you finish. We'll get him right". Yeah, from this view the only right appears to be "gone". 

The Giants currently have two starters (Peavy and Matt Cain) on downward tracks. One is a lot cheaper to dump. Loyalty aside, and loyalty is a wonderful thing when not abused, it's time for the Giants to move on from the 34-year-old.  He hasn't been a regular contributor for more than a year, and now he's an actual hindrance.

Tim Lincecum anyone?

Cincy only out-hit the Giants 10-0, but oh, those long balls. Belt stayed red hot, getting a homer and single to reaise his batting average to .323. Kelby Tomlinson also had two hits. 

The Giants return home at 15-14 and fall to second place in the NL West pending the outcome of tonight's Dodgers-Rays contest. San Francisco tries to right the ship on Thursday with Cain (0-3, 7.00 ERA) taking the ball against Colorado's Chris Rusin (1-0, 1.69).

We're just thankful Ryan Spilborghs isn't in uniform.

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