SAN DIEGO - The Padres considered giving right-hander Jake Peavy a cortisone shot to alleviate the pain in his broken rib so he could pitch if there was a Game 4 of the division series.
Even Peavy believed it might be a viable option.
But the Padres ultimately decided it wasn't worth risking further damage to their injured ace, manager Bruce Bochy said before his team tried to stave off elimination late Saturday night against St. Louis.
Peavy led the league in strikeouts and went 13-7 with a 2.88 ERA this season, but apparently he broke the rib during San Diego's on-field celebration after clinching the West title on Sept. 26. The team said it worsened during his start in San Diego's 8-5 Game 1 loss Tuesday at Busch Stadium.
Bochy didn't rule out Peavy returning if the Padres advanced in the championship series, though that seemed like a long shot.
"I would say he's out. Not 100 percent, but 99," Bochy said. "I don't see Jake pitching."
BACKE'S BACK YARD: Astros right-hander Brandon Backe can't explain why he is so much better at home. "If you go to a different ballpark, I know it's 60 feet, 6 inches from the rubber to the plate, but the backgrounds are much different," Backe said. "Some plates look like they're closer than others. Some mounds are different than others. I really don't know ... there's no excuse." Backe gets to pitch at home today, when he starts Game 4 of the Astros' division series against Atlanta. Backe is 6-2 with a 3.41 ERA in 11 games this season at Minute Maid Park, where he was the Game 3 winner against the Braves in last year's playoffs. He is 4-6 with a 5.83 ERA in 15 road starts. "I don't know if there's a difference in approach, but there's definitely a difference in what he does here," manager Phil Garner said. "He attacks the zone much better here. ... Perhaps the noise level here, with the roof closed, is what gives him a big plus."
SLEEP FAST: Both games of the division series in Houston will be played within 24 hours. Game 3 between the Astros and Braves began just after 8 Saturday night, and Game 4 is scheduled to start just after 1 p.m. today. "I wish we didn't have to do that, but that's what it is," Garner said. "The good news is we're not traveling, but I think (today's game) is going to be difficult for us."
REGGIE'S RETURN: St. Louis' Reggie Sanders struggled for two weeks in September to regain his stroke after rehabbing a broken leg for two months, but now he's coming up with all the big hits. He drew a full-count walk in his initial plate appearance in the first inning of Game 3 Saturday. In the second, Sanders lined a two-run, bases-loaded double to left that chased Padres starter Woody Williams and gave St. Louis a 5-0 lead. Sanders has a NLDS-record 10 RBIs in the series. Boston's John Valentin drove in 12 runs against Cleveland in the 1999 ALDS.
