NEW YORK — Jake Peavy is confident he’s the right man for the job.
Peavy’s ongoing struggles have cast a dark cloud over his 2014 season, with some suggesting the Boston Red Sox should remove the veteran right-hander from the rotation altogether. Peavy is staying in the rotation for now, though, and the 33-year-old is welcoming the challenge of overcoming his current rough patch.
“I know I can,” Peavy told ESPN.com’s Gordon Edes on Saturday regarding whether he can return to being a productive member of Boston’s rotation. “Absolutely. There ain’t any doubt in my mind that I’m going to help. I’ve got plenty of baseball left.”
Peavy is slated to start Monday’s game against the Chicago Cubs at Fenway Park. It’ll be his final start of a forgettable month in which he has posted an 0-4 record and a 5.87 ERA in five starts. Peavy’s last start Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners represented rock bottom, with the three-time All-Star allowing a season-high seven earned runs on eight hits over five innings.
The Red Sox, in theory, could have — and still could — made a move involving Peavy to create an opening for Rubby De La Rosa, who has pitched well in five major league starts this season. Boston instead chose to option De La Rosa back to Triple-A Pawtucket before Saturday’s game, meaning Peavy’s spot is safe for the time being.
“That ain’t for me to decide. It is what it is. I don’t know,” Peavy said of whether his career track record warrants some extra leeway. “What we’re about is trying to win right now. They’ve got to do what’s best to win right now. I don’t know what anybody else is saying. We’ll see. It’s not for me to decide.”
The Red Sox’s rotation, which recently had been in flux, now consists of Peavy, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buchholz and Brandon Workman, with Felix Doubront shifting to the bullpen on a full-time basis. De La Rosa certainly is knocking on the door, though, so it’ll be interesting to see what transpires over the next few weeks.
Rest assured that Peavy will at least pitch his tail off, though the results remain a mystery.
