For Peavy's sake, keep the six-man rotation

The six-man rotation has been incredibly beneficial to Jake Peavy, who put together a fine start against a great offense last evening.

“No doubt about it, I think my arm is still getting stronger,” Peavy said. “It’s tough on a daily basis to grind through it and see how your arm is going to feel, coming back from this surgery. It’s been different. You feel like with rest, you feel like $1 million. And sometimes you don’t, and it gets kind of frustrating. -- CSN Chicago

Beerleaguer: Maybe Peavy's first four starts since returning from the disabled list would've gone this well had he been in a traditional five-man rotation. But if the early returns are any indication, Peavy's 3.24 ERA (2.41 FIP) has been aided by an extra day of rest. While Gavin Floyd, John Danks, Edwin Jackson and Phil Humber may not need that added off day, Peavy probably does—and, to a lesser extent, so does Mark Buehrle.

While Danks has been awful as of late, moving him out of the rotation would be incredibly short-sighted. He's the only one who has struggled through the six-man setup, but moving him to the bullpen would mean he wouldn't be stretched out if the need arises for him to make a start. Plus, we don't know how Danks would respond to his first-ever bullpen demotion at the MLB level.

And, on top of all of that, we don't know how Peavy's body would respond to a normal pitching schedule. It hasn't responded well in the past, though, so there's no reason to test it at this point. 

Comments

[MBT Sale]

So would something about Oney Guillen, but let's just agree to avoid that subject.