General manager Ken Williams excused Jake Peavy for pitching while hurt. Well, sort of.
“I know what to expect; it’s Jake Peavy,” Williams said. “You can’t acquire someone knowing that he’s got that bulldog attitude, and have that be one of the reasons you acquired him, and at the same time when it doesn’t work in your favor, be critical of him.”
Peavy was roughed up for six runs in the fourth inning by the Tigers in a 7-3 loss Sunday after he pitched three scoreless. The difference was a groin strain that was aggravated in the third, an injury that put him on the disabled list Wednesday and raised the question of whether Peavy hurt his team by pitching hurt.
“It’s kind of like dealing with Ozzie [Guillen] to a certain extent,” Williams said. “You know what you’re getting. You can’t be overly critical on one end when some of the aspects of a personality come out when you’ve used that to your advantage more times than not.”
Peavy is eligible to come off the DL in 12 days, but if and when he’s ready, a minor-league rehab assignment will follow, much to his chagrin.
“No matter what he thinks he can’t simulate the intensity of a game in the bullpen, warming up or during [fielding drills],” Williams said..”You just can’t do that. You have to get in the game, have to break toward first base, cover first base…those are the only things that will test how strong you are getting down in your groin area. That’s just the way it is.”
