Bruce Bochy sat next to Jake Peavy and simply let the right-hander talk. Or, rather, let him yell.
Peavy gestured and steamed and pulled his hair so hard it looked like he would come away with a handful, letting all the frustration out after giving up a go-ahead two-run homer to little-known first baseman Clint Robinson. The Giants would go on to lose 2-1 to the Nationals, but the next time Bochy sits next to Peavy you can be sure that he won’t let the right-hander do all the talking.
Bochy can tell Peavy that he gave the Giants all they could have expected Friday, and that he gave them renewed hope that the rotation will fall into place as planned. A day after Matt Cain gave up five runs in his season debut, Peavy allowed just two in 6 1/3 innings at Nationals Park.
The line was nice, but the important part was how Peavy went about getting through innings. He topped out at 90 mph in two rough April starts but on Friday he was regularly hitting 92, while also getting his trademark movement on his two-seamer. Peavy had all his pitches working at times, and while his command was in and out, he managed to lock in after an intentional walk of Bryce Harper in the first, retiring 16 of 17.
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“I thought we’d see the Jake we know,” Bochy said. “He was on top of his game.”
That run ended in the seventh when Harper drew another walk on a close 3-2 pitch. It could have gone either way, but it went to the future MVP not the former Cy Young Award winner.
“It’s a game of inches,” Peavy said after complimenting the umpiring crew. “We saw that.”
It’s often a game of missed inches, too. Peavy missed his spot badly to Robinson and the two-run screamer to right was the difference in the game.
“With the way the game was going you knew that one or two runs will win that game,” Peavy said. “It’s just unfortunate the way it worked out. I’ve got to get better, I’ve got to get stronger.”
The Giants managed just one run against Gio Gonzalez, a solo homer off the bat of red-hot first-baseman-for-now Buster Posey. He’ll need more help if the Giants are to stay close in the National League West, but Hunter Pence and Nori Aoki should be back later this month. If the Giants need additional offense, they may now have the freedom to make that their focus. The rotation needed a boost, but Peavy looks like he might be ready to take care of his end.
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When healthy as a Giant, he has been a star. While Peavy wasn’t great last October, he had a 2.17 ERA in 12 August and September starts to make sure the Giants got to Madison Bumgarner’s favorite month in the first place. On Friday, he looked like that guy.
“It feels nice to be back and healthy and feel like you can contribute,” Peavy said. “It's just unfortunate the way the game ended. I got a little tired there but no excuses. I’ve got to make pitches. I didn’t do enough. It’s disappointing.”
Peavy showed that when he was pulled from the game. The screaming, the hand-waving and hair-pulling made it clear he wasn’t thrilled with the way his day ended. After a good night’s sleep, however, you can bet Peavy will be happy with the way he threw Friday. The Giants certainly should be.
