(SportsNetwork.com) - San Francisco acquired veteran right-hander Jake Peavy on Saturday with one purpose in mind. Beat the Los Angeles Dodgers. He'll get a chance to continue a career's worth of dominance against them on Sunday in his San Francisco debut, as Giants try to avoid a three-game sweep at AT&T Park.
A former National League Cy Young Award winner with the San Diego Padres, Peavy was 1-9 with a 4.72 ERA in 20 outings for the Boston Red Sox this season. However, his run support average of 2.76 was the second-lowest among all AL starting pitchers.
"This is what I showed up to do at the beginning of the year: to try and win a World Series, and this team certainly knows how to get that done," Peavy said. "It starts with getting in and trying to win your division. To be thrown right into the middle of that, as I was last year, it's exciting for me."
Of course, Peavy will also be reunited with his former manager, Bruce Bochy, who was his skipper with the Padres.
"I've always admired how he plays the game. He's all-out, full-bore in everything he does. He's a guy you want on your club," Bochy said of Peavy, whose nickname is, appropriately, Bulldog. "He's as tough of a competitor as any player I've ever had; these guys are going to love him and his approach to the game.
"I'm excited about having Jake here and I know he's excited about coming back to the National League and this division."
Perhaps the most important reason Peavy was obtained is the fact that he is an incredible 14-2 lifetime versus the Dodgers with a 2.21 ERA in 25 starts. He's limited the Dodgers' current roster to a combined .177 average with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 113 at-bats.
On Aug. 25 last season, Peavy pitched a complete-game three-hitter at Dodger Stadium, allowing just one run.
Peavy jumps right into the fire on Sunday, as the Giants fell a half-game back of the Dodgers in the NL West on Saturday thanks to another brilliant effort from Clayton Kershaw. The two-time NL Cy Young Award winner tossed a two-hit shutout to win his ninth straight decision in the Dodgers' 5-0 triumph.
"Most clubs are trying to do now is get him early, and when you do that and you don't get him, you get a low pitch count," LA manager Don Mattingly said.
After totaling eight runs on 15 hits on Friday, the Dodgers finished with 11 base knocks on Saturday. Adrian Gonzalez went 3-for-5 with an RBI, Juan Uribe had a pair of hits and two runs batted in and Carl Crawford scored twice.
The Giants have now dropped their last three.
"When you're going against one of the best you have to find a way to scratch and claw for runs," Bochy said.
While Peavy will be debuting for the Giants, the Dodgers will also be throwing an impressive hurler in Hyun-Jin Ryu, who is 11-5 with a 3.39 ERA. Ryu won his second straight start on Monday in Pittsburgh, as he held the Pirates to a pair of runs and five hits in seven innings.
Ryu is 3-3 in seven starts versus the Giants with a 3.24 ERA.
Despite the two losses to start this series, San Francisco is still 7-5 versus the Dodgers this season.
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