Peavy pleased with rehab, Charity Jam

CHICAGO -- Jake Peavy hopes to start playing catch sometime this week and accelerate that process into bullpen sessions next week, as he continues his rehab from a fractured rib on his left side that put him on the disabled list June 5.

"I feel good," Peavy said. "I'm able to move around a whole lot better than I was a week or so ago. I don't really feel it much in my normal day activity.

"I'm hopefully getting better. I've been moving around, been doing some shoulder stuff at home. Hopefully, when I start playing catch, we won't have any setbacks."

Peavy was equally pleased with his Charity Jam, held Sunday night at Joe's Bar in Chicago, to benefit cancer research. All of the money raised was still being tabulated, but according to Peavy, it should be the most successful event he has done. None of his teammates joined in on stage with the entertaining country lineup, although second baseman Gordon Beckham did bring back his now famous Peavy impersonation.

It was an honor for Peavy to put together this event in tribute to his grandmother, Dama Lolley, and his good friend Darrel Akerfelds, who both lost battles with cancer in the past year.

"Yesterday was exactly one year since my buddy Darrel passed away, and then obviously you guys know about my grandma," Peavy said. "Being able to have the event on Sunday night, to rally the troops so to speak, having [Akerfelds'] widow, Julie, here for the event, to be able to spend time with her yesterday on an off-day on such a memorable day for us.

"Having my family up here to remember my grandmother, having some of the guys, we had pancreatic cancer patients there. We had breast cancer patients there, to hear their stories, to give them hope, to lift their spirits to make them smile, I can't tell you how gratifying of a night Sunday night was."