As With Lackey on Monday, Bad Frame Dooms Peavy’s Outing

The fourth inning on Monday was where John Lackey ran into trouble against the Mariners, giving up six runs to put the Red Sox out of the game.

For Peavy, it was the fifth on Tuesday, as two Seattle homers accounted for four more runs that all but ended the Sox chances of taking this one that ended in an 8-2 loss.

Peavy got off to a rocky start, allowing a leadoff single to Endy Chavez and then walking James Jones on five pitches. Robinson Cano flew out to center for the first out, but Kyle Seager then lined a ball that took a bad hop and bounced into right field to score Chavez and put the M’s on the board. Logan Morrison hit a sac fly to center, as the second out gave Seattle a 2-0 lead. Peavy struck out Mike Zunino to end the inning with the Sox trailing by two.

The Mariners got a runner on in the second as Brad Miller drew a one-out walk. After John Buck struck out, Chavez lined a triple down the right field line as Miller scored the third Seattle run of the night before Peavy struck out Jones for the third out.
Peavy shut the M’s down 1-2-3 in back-to-back frames in the third and fourth, retiring all three Mariners he saw in the fourth on just eight pitches, having thrown 64 total pitches in the ballgame. The Sox got back to within one when Brock Holt hit a two-run homer to make it a 3-2 game.
Chavez reached base for the third time in the game by laying a perfect bunt down that got between Peavy and Dustin Pedroia to start the bottom of the fifth. Jones hit a grounder to first that Napoli threw to second for the out, but the umpire said Jones beat the throw back to first, prompting an unsuccessful Red Sox challenge. Cano then singled to right, advancing Jones to third, before Seager unleashed a bomb to right field for a three-run shot that gave Seattle a 6-2 lead. After Morrison flew out to Daniel Nava in right, Zunino took one out to left to make the deficit five runs before Ackley popped out to stop the bleeding.
Felix Doubront came out for the sixth as Peavy’s night was done. The Sox starter’s final numbers were five innings pitched, allowing seven runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
Peavy allowed two home runs in the game to bring his total up to 16 allowed this year, tying him with David Price for first in the American League. His season ERA rose from 4.52 to 4.93.
Clay Buchholz will be back for the Red Sox on Wednesday, while Brandon Workman will return from his suspension on Friday. With Rubby De La Rosa also pitching very well, maybe the Sox need to do with Peavy what they did with Buchholz, give him some time off to figure out what’s wrong as the Sox try to see how they can somehow salvage this season.