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Peavy takes the hill for White Sox in Arlington

May 24, 2011 - 2:29 PM (Sports Network) - Jake Peavy feels he is finally ready to give the Chicago White Sox the kind of boost he was brought in for when the club acquired him nearly two years ago.

With Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz back in Texas' lineup, he'll likely need to be in top form tonight when he tries to repeat his previous performance in the middle portion of a three-game series versus the Rangers in Arlington.

The 29-year-old Peavy has made just 22 starts for the White Sox since they acquired him from the Padres prior to the 2009 trade deadline. He didn't make his season debut this year until May 11 because of a torn lat muscle suffered on July 6 of last season that required surgery to reattach the tendon of the muscle to his shoulder.

Peavy gave up four runs over six innings in his debut, but followed that outing up with a gem on Wednesday versus the Indians. Flashing his former Cy Young Award-winning form, the right-hander hurled a three-hit shutout, striking out eight without a walk to take a 1-0 victory.

"This is the healthiest I've ever been in Chicago and I hope it stays that way," said Peavy after throwing the fifth shutout and ninth complete game of his career. "This is what I was brought here to do and hopefully I can keep it going."

Peavy will face the Rangers for just the second time in his career. He lost to them on April 28 of last year, yielding six runs on six hits and five walks over 6 1/3 innings.

Peavy will also be facing a Texas lineup that got both Hamilton and Cruz back into the lineup for Monday's opener. The two wasted little time having an impact, with Hamilton belting his first homer of the season in the first inning and Cruz later adding a two-run shot in the sixth frame to help the Rangers to a 4-0 win.

Hamilton hadn't played since April 12, when he suffered a broken bone in his right upper arm, and Cruz had been sidelined since May 3 after sustaining a strained right quadriceps muscle.

"Cruz and Hamilton made their presence felt quick and early," Texas manager Ron Washington told his team's website. "Hamilton in his first at-bat gets us on the board, and Cruz hits a two-run bomb. Their presence was felt."

Though the extra run production was appreciated, Alexi Ogando's first career shutout made it unnecessary. Ogando improved to 5-0 after scattering five hits and three walks, striking out six in the first complete game of his career.

While Texas has won two straight following a three-game slide, Chicago had its brief two-game win streak end while losing for just the second time in seven games. John Danks served up both home runs while also going the distance, falling to 0-7 on the season.

"It's getting harder and harder. That's just the blunt truth. It doesn't do me any good to sit and dwell on it and feel sorry for myself. I have to come in ready to work," Danks said about still being winless.

The Rangers will start Derek Holland, who hasn't recorded a decision since a victory over the Royals on April 22. He has gone five outings since without posting either a win or a loss, including Thursday against Kansas City despite eight innings of one-run ball. The lefty worked around nine hits and a walk in his club's 2-1 extra-inning loss.

The 24-year-old Holland, who is 3-1 with a 4.37 ERA in nine starts this season, will make his first career start against the White Sox, but is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in two relief outings against them.

The Rangers and White Sox split two games last week in Chicago.