Sox starter Peavy making good progress

Kenny Williams tried once and failed, and then he tried again.

On July 31, 2009, he acquired starting pitcher Jake Peavy in a trade from the San Diego Padres in exchange for four promising prospects, including young starter Clayton Richard.

A longtime Peavy admirer, Williams said one of the main reasons he doggedly pursued the right-hander was because he wanted the rest of the White Sox' starting rotation to get a first-hand look at how a legitimate ace goes about his business.

So far, Peavy has yet to show much.

Recovering from an ankle injury when he initially arrived on the South Side, Peavy was limited to 3 starts with the Sox at the end of the 2009 season and he won them all while yielding just 3 earned runs in 20 innings.

But as the 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner reiterated on a conference call Tuesday, he altered his mechanics to compensate for the ankle injury and still wasn't completely comfortable last season.

Changing from a straight-up delivery back to the sidearm style he used in San Diego, Peavy finally started pitching like a No. 1 for the White Sox in June, going 3-1 with a 1.47 ERA over a stretch of 5 starts.

But with two outs in the second inning during a July 6 game against the Angels, Peavy delivered a 2-2 pitch to Mike Napoli and walked off the mound in agonizing pain.

He was diagnosed with a detached lattisimus dorsi muscle in his right posterior shoulder, and that was it for Peavy's season.

Now, just over a week before Sox pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Glendale, Ariz., Peavy is still on the road to recovery.

He spoke to reporters on a conference call late Tuesday morning after throwing 40 pitches off the mound in San Diego.

How are you feeling, Jake?

“I'd say 60-70 percent off the mound, if I had to put a percentage on it,” Peavy said.

Right before SoxFest, Peavy texted Williams and said he would be ready to go when the Sox open the regular season on April 1 at Cleveland.

Admitting he was “fired up” at the time, Peavy said that could be wishful thinking.

“The best way for me to answer that question ... that would be tough,” Peavy said when asked if he still feels he'll be ready to start the season. “I can tell you this. It's been a tough winter; there's been no down time for me. I've either been in rehab or on the throwing program that started in early November. I certainly pushed it as much as I can while listening to my body and making sure I'm not doing anything to set me back.

“I want to be ready for Opening Day, that's me. I want to come into camp and be just like the other guys. I feel like I can do that. That being said, when I get there I think we're going to have an MRI and let our doctors look at it and we'll evaluate where I'm at there.”

Williams and White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen have repeatedly said Peavy is not going to be rushed back, and there is a chance he could be out until sometime in May.

“We'll sit down during the first week of camp and map out what they want me to do,” said Peavy, who was 7-6 with a 4.63 ERA in 17 starts last season. “You know me, I'll be the ringleader trying to push the envelope and make sure I'm ready as soon as possible.

“I'm sure that with what transpired last year, some of those guys are going to play devil's advocate and take it slow. But if we have find a happy medium to where we think we're not doing anything to set me back, I hope to be ready to go real soon.”

As for the detached lat muscle, Peavy said it's not even a factor.

“I really do not feel my lat whatsoever,” Peavy said. “The back of my shoulder gets sore, but when you throw 40-50 pitches off the mound, you're going to get sore. I can noticeably tell my arm's not that strong. It's taken longer than I expected to get my arm strength, but I think that's because you ease into throwing.

“I don't think anybody's arm is ready. I think you can talk to Johnny Danks right now or (Mark) Buehrle and they'd tell you on Feb. 8 their arm's not ready to go. I hope spring training builds that up.”

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