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Peavy strikes out 10 as Padres beat Cubs 4-0

May 23, 2009 - 6:15 AM SAN DIEGO(AP) -- One day after he vetoed a trade to the White Sox, Jake Peavy burned the other Chicago team as well.

Peavy struck out 10 and the San Diego Padres beat Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs 4-0 Friday night to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games.

"These last 48 hours have been different for me, certainly, than anything I've ever experienced," Peavy said. "But nothing that you can't be professional about and handle."

Tony Gwynn Jr. doubled and scored two runs in his first start for San Diego since arriving via a trade with Milwaukee on Thursday. Gwynn drew a pinch-hit walk and scored the winning run in the ninth inning Thursday night as the Padres beat San Francisco 3-2.

The 2007 Cy Young Award winner, Peavy (4-5) struck out the side in the first and cruised from there in San Diego's first shutout this season, holding Chicago hitless until the fourth and allowing just one other hit over six innings. He walked four.

"I felt OK," Peavy said. "Not great stuff. I walked four guys. Any night you win in the big leagues is a good night. I prefer to pitch longer than six innings."

Three relievers combined with Peavy on a five-hitter in handing the Cubs their fourth shutout. Heath Bell got the final out for his 12th save in as many chances. After replacing Edward Mujica, Bell walked the bases loaded before getting Derrek Lee to foul out to first base.

"It was a well-pitched game," manager Bud Black said. "They put some stress on him the first two innings and he worked his way out of it with some great pitches. So that got him a little bit behind the eight ball early, then he found his groove and finished up strong."

Following his first complete game of the season in his last start, Peavy, recorded double-digit strikeouts for a franchise-best 30th time, and the third time this season.

Facing Peavy "helps to exacerbate the problem," Piniella said. "Peavy is a good pitcher, obviously. If the White Sox had gotten him, we wouldn't have faced him tonight, but we'd have faced him a couple of times in Chicago in the inter-league series, so we might be done with him."

During the offseason, the Cubs were interested in obtaining Peavy but eventually broke off talks. The Padres have tried to move Peavy in a salary-slashing move.

"I don't want to be a distraction for this team," said Peavy, who has full no-trade powers. "We're starting to get back on the right track and I am a member of this team right now."

Zambrano (3-2) was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the game. He had been out since May 3 after straining his left hamstring while running out a bunt single. The right-hander allowed three runs on three hits over 4 2-3 innings while striking out seven and walking four.

"I felt good," Zambrano said. "No problems. That was the good thing about today's game, but we lost. We need to get everything together as a team and try to do things better."

Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the seventh, tying Philadelphia's Raul Ibanez for the major league lead with 16.

The struggling Cubs have scored only two runs in four games on this road trip, and have dropped five straight overall.

Cubs batters struck out a season-high 16 times, also the highest total by San Diego pitchers this year.

"We know that sooner or later we will come back and do what we are supposed to do," Alfonso Soriano said. "Every team has struggles, because it's a long season. We hope that because it's happening now, it won't happen (again) and we'll get out of the slump."

Padres second baseman David Eckstein took a pitch to the chest when he squared to bunt but missed the high pitch in the first inning. He fell to the ground and remained down for a few minutes while being tended to, then got up and went to first.

Edgar Gonzalez replaced him for the top of the second. The Padres said Eckstein has a chest bruise. X-rays were negative.

Peavy hit Bobby Scales on the right thigh with his first pitch of the second inning, drawing a warning from plate umpire Dana DeMuth, who also warned both dugouts.

Notes: Gwynn saved the ball from his first hit as a Padre, the only team for which his father played during his 20-year, Hall-of-Fame career.