Peavy Hurts Ribs, Sox Drop 8th Straight In 7-4 Loss To Mariners
SEATTLE (AP) — Jake Peavy felt something wrong in his ribs when he was playing catch a day before his start. Still, he thought he could pitch through any discomfort.
After giving up six runs in less than three innings, the pain was too much for Peavy. Now, the question is how long the White Sox right-hander might be out.
"I'm hurting pretty much to take a deep breath. Just walking I can feel it," Peavy said. "Something is going on."
Raul Ibanez hit a two-run homer and a two-run double in his first two at-bats and Felix Hernandez pitched the Seattle Mariners to a 7-4 win over Chicago on Tuesday night, the eighth straight loss for the reeling White Sox.
Seattle scored three times in the first inning and three times in the third to give Hernandez a rare cushion on a night when he wasn't at his best early. Thanks to the lead, Hernandez (7-4) was eventually able to find a groove and he ended up pitching into the eighth inning to win his second straight start.
Ibanez hit the first pitch he saw out to right field for his 11th homer and added the double his next at-bat in what turned out to be the last batter Peavy faced.
Maybe he shouldn't have even started.
Peavy said his ribs have been bothering him for a couple of days and he saw a doctor on Monday to see if he could be diagnosed without needing tests. Peavy came away from that exam feeling he'd be able to make his start, but after 42 pitches, was headed for X-rays.
Peavy (6-4) had an MRI scheduled for Wednesday morning in Seattle when the White Sox close out what's become a miserable road trip. Peavy said the pain is similar to a broken rib.
"It's something pretty acute, pretty sharp," he said. "I couldn't physically do much from the start of the game. I just tried to get through it. It was frustrating."
The anticipated matchup between former Cy Young Award winners Hernandez and Peavy never materialized into a pitching showdown. Hernandez gave up runs in each of the first two innings, while Peavy was knocked around for six earned runs and seven hits in just 2 1-3 innings before leaving.
Seattle came through with two outs twice in the first inning. Kendrys Morales had an RBI single to score Endy Chavez, and that was immediately followed by Ibanez's homer. Two innings later, Ibanez doubled into the right-field corner.
Peavy had an extended conversation on the mound with manager Robin Ventura. White Sox trainer Herm Schneider was called to the mound and, after a brief talk, walked back to the dugout with Peavy at his side. It was the second straight start Peavy was tagged for six earned runs.
"You can just tell by the way he was throwing that something didn't look right, so we went out and checked and he wasn't able to get any velocity on it," Ventura said. "It was one of those, you don't want him to go out there and continue and hurt something."
Hernandez settled down quickly after giving up a run in the first and Adam Dunn's long homer to center field in the second — Chicago's first homer in seven games. After Dunn's 13th homer of the season and a single by Alexei Ramirez, Hernandez retired 16 of the next 17 batters and faced the minimum over the next five innings. His only mistake was a walk to Jordan Danks in the fifth, but he was quickly erased on a double play.
Ramirez led off the eighth with a single, the first Chicago hit since the second inning, and Tyler Flowers chased Hernandez with an RBI double. Oliver Perez gave up an RBI single but got out of the eighth, and Tom Wilhelmsen worked the ninth for his 14th save in 17 chances.
Hernandez went 7 1-3 innings, allowing four runs while striking out eight and walking one.
"He made it difficult on himself working behind sometimes, he left a few pitches out early on, but did a nice job reeling it back in," Mariners manager Eric Wedge said.
NOTES: Chicago lost its ninth straight road game. ... Seattle's Nick Franklin had a home run off reliever Brian Omogrosso reversed after replay showed it hit the top of the wall and bounced back. It was the third time a home run call has been reversed at Safeco Field. ... Seattle C Jesus Sucre left in the bottom of the fifth after taking a foul ball off the top of his left hand in the top of the inning. He was replaced by Kelly Shoppach, who had a sacrifice fly in the eighth to score Michael Saunders. Sucre will be examined further on Wednesday.
