May 9, 2016; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jake Peavy (22) throws to the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning of their MLB baseball game at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports
SAN FRANCISCO — Struggling Jake Peavy is scheduled to make his next start Wednesday during the series finale against the San Diego Padres, and manager Bruce Bochy has no intention of changing his mind.
Off to a 1-5 start with an 8.21 ERA, Peavy looks overmatched on paper when opposes San Diego right-hander James Shields, who at 2-6 has experienced his share of problems this season, too.
“His stuff is fine,” Bochy said of Peavy. “He’s healthy and close. He needs to be more consistent executing pitches.”
Bochy is willing to throw out Peavy’s 1 2/3-inning outing on Friday, when the Cubs touched the veteran for five runs and seven hits during an 8-1 Chicago win. The manager points to the start before when Peavy allowed only one run and three hits over six innings en route to a 5-3 victory.
“I love what he did in Arizona,” Bochy said. “He backed off. He didn’t go full throttle on every pitch, which is his nature.”
Bochy expects Peavy to bounce back similar to how Matt Cain has of late. The Giants won each of Cain’s last two starts, over the Cubs and the Diamondbacks, after the team dropped each of his previous six outings.
“I don’t have a leash on him right now, so I don’t know how long,” Bochy answered when asked how much time Peavy has to rebound. “Jake, he’s going to be fine. He had a hiccup in his last start. He’s had a couple good (games), too.”
