"Despite losing his first start of the second half, Jake Peavy says he's feeling much better than before the All-Star break.

Specifically, he feels better about his slider than in the three starts before the break when he struggled with his velocity and control, going 0-3 with a 7.16 ERA.

"The other night [against the Royals], it was certainly better," Peavy said. "Guys were swinging and missing, but, at the same time, I missed location-wise, and it got hit a few times the other night. But anything is going to be better than those last three starts before the break."

Peavy gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings to get the loss in his last start. But he knows he'll need to be sharper tonight against Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

"Ain't nobody betting on me against that guy," Peavy said. "There was a time when I think it might be tit for tat. I can't promise you anything, but I'm going to have a blast getting to compete against one of the game's best.""