Padres' ace Peavy struggles again in loss to Marlins

By: BRIAN HIRO - Staff Writer | Sunday, June 11, 2006 8:14 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- The numbers suggest that the Padres should be alarmed about Jake Peavy, their ace and one of the best pitchers in the National League the past two seasons.

Peavy himself, however, suggests otherwise. In the face of the worst three-start stretch of his brilliant young career, he keeps preaching the same message: Don't worry about me.

"I promise you this isn't going to continue," Peavy said after the Padres' 7-3 loss to the upstart Florida Marlins on Sunday afternoon at Petco Park. "Things are going to start going my way."

Peavy and the Padres hope it's soon. The 25-year-old right-hander lost twice during a seven-game period when the Padres dropped three of four at Milwaukee ---- which entered on an eight-game skid ---- and were beaten in a weekend series by the Marlins, a rookie-laden club that left San Diego with the poorest record in the National League.

It didn't escape the Padres' attention that they struggled in the same week that division leader Arizona lost seven games in a row, meaning that the third-place club squandered a golden opportunity to bolt to the top of the NL West.

"We're not scoreboard-watching during games," Padres catcher Josh Bard said. "But it's frustrating when you have the ability to make up some games and you don't."

Added Peavy with a laugh: "We're the Padres. It wouldn't be any fun if we won (the division) by 15 games."

Peavy remained surprisingly upbeat after his start Sunday, in which he allowed six runs on eight hits in five innings. Never in his career, not even as a 21-year-old rookie in 2002, had Peavy allowed at least five earned runs in three consecutive outings ---- until now. The latest substandard effort left the 2004 ERA champion with a 4.96 ERA ---- highest on the Padres' starting staff ---- and a 4-7 record, matching his number of losses from either of the past two seasons.

Shoulder tendinitis was the culprit when Peavy began laboring at the end of May. The Padres considered placing him on the disabled list but elected to postpone his next start by three days to help chase away the soreness.

Peavy's shoulder benefited from the layoff, but his pitching form didn't, and his missed bullpen sessions contributed to rust in a loss to the Brewers on Tuesday.

Peavy didn't blame physical ailments or a lack of preparation for his trouble on Sunday. This time, he said, it was the vagaries of baseball as much as anything.

Pitching with a 2-0 lead after the Padres pounced on Florida right-hander Brian Moehler in the first inning, Peavy started the second by giving up a single to Miguel Cabrera and walking Cody Ross. Following a strikeout of Jeremy Hermida, Alfredo Amezaga hit a check-swing ground ball that went for an infield single. Former Padre Miguel Olivo then lined the first of his four singles to knot the score 2-2.

The Marlins took the lead on Amezaga's RBI single in the fourth inning and broke the game open in the fifth when Ross hit Peavy's 3-1 fastball for a 423-foot, three-run homer.

"When you're going good, that ball gets popped up," Peavy said. "Obviously, I'm not sharp. I made some quality pitches, but I didn't make enough."

Padres manager Bruce Bochy repeatedly said after the game that Peavy is "close" to returning to the form that produced an All-Star berth and strikeout title last season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Peavy became the first pitcher to strike out at least 10 batters while yielding six or more earned runs since Arizona's Javier Vazquez last July 1.

"I know the results weren't great, but I was more optimistic," Bochy said. "He had good stuff today. This was more like Jake."

Padres hitters had a hard time faulting Peavy for the loss. They had Moehler (4-5), a pitcher who entered with a 7.17 ERA, on the ropes in the first inning but left runners at the corners after scoring twice. They also put at least two runners on base in three of the next four innings without scoring.

The Padres didn't add a third run until Moehler was out of the game, as Adrian Gonzalez and pinch-hitter Rob Bowen lined doubles to left-center in the eighth. The club went 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position Sunday and 5-for-32 (.156) in the series.

"When you get opportunities to score runs, you have to capitalize," center fielder Mike Cameron said. "Because, as you can see, we gave Moehler life."

Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com. To comment, go to nctimes.com.