Peavy adjusts mechanics, returns to old form

In retrospect, coming back from a serious right ankle injury and winning all 3 starts he made for the White Sox last season while allowing 3 earned runs in 20 innings might have been a bad thing for Jake Peavy.

The right-hander admitted as much on Sunday morning's "Hit and Run" show on WSCR 670-AM, which is hosted by Daily Herald columnist Barry Rozner and Matt Spiegel.

"I wasn't ready to pitch last year, but I felt like I owed it to a lot of people," Peavy said.

Unable to push off with his right foot like he did for so many successful seasons with the San Diego Padres, Peavy somehow made the adjustment and had success with a completely different set of mechanics.

But when Peavy reported for spring training in good health, Sox pitching coach Don Cooper expected him to keep pitching like he did at the end of 2009.

"That's who Coop labeled me as," Peavy said the morning after he allowed the Blue Jays 2 runs in 8 innings while winning his second straight start. "It was, 'Get your arm up, stay on top of the ball, stay tall.' "

Peavy has always preferred dropping down and throwing three-quarters, like he did in 2007 while going 19-6 with a 2.54 ERA with the Padres en route to winning the National League Cy Young Award.

After three frustrating outings for the White Sox to open the season, Peavy and Cooper watched some old video.

"We revamped almost my whole mechanics," Peavy said. "We got back to the way it was. It's a little bit unorthodox and not really what pitching coaches teach. But Coop didn't have that history with me and was teaching me stuff that was fundamentally correct but just not me.

"It takes away from what I bring to the table, but we figured it out and things are starting to roll now."

Peavy has allowed just 3 earned runs in his last 201/3 innings, and his fastball has gone from 90 to 91 mph to a steady 95 since he got back to his old form.

"It's taken a lot of hard work, a lot of time in the bullpen between starts and a couple times on the mound between starts, but I feel comfortable," Peavy said. "I feel really good on the mound and now it's just a matter of winning ballgames for the White Sox."