"It wasn't getting worse. But the doctors told me it could get worse if we didn't take action."

That's what Jake Peavy told the San Diego Union-Tribune after he was scratched from his scheduled Saturday start and placed on the 15-day disabled list by the team. Fantasy owners were shocked to hear that Peavy might be out for as long as 12 weeks, especially since only last week, manager Bud Black was saying that the ankle was no longer an issue. Black seemed as surprised as anyone with Friday's MRI results, telling the paper, "I just know what he was telling me and Jake said he was getting better."

To me, when I read that the MRI revealed "longitudinal tearing in the posterior tibialis tendon in his right ankle," I might as well be a Peanuts character listening to an off-screen grownup. All I hear is "Wah, wah, wah wah, waaaaah." So I asked my esteemed colleague Stephania Bell to explain what all this means. Here's what she said:

"The tendon, which is fairly lengthy, runs behind the inside of the ankle and attaches to the navicular bone. Its function is so critical because it helps control position of the midfoot, which essentially controls the arch. You also use that muscle during push-off of the foot. As a right-handed thrower (and this is his right foot that is injured), the pain he has been experiencing as weight is transferred through the foot during his pitching motion has no doubt contributed to his less than ace-like performance in the starts since the initial injury. He has been heavily wrapped, but obviously is still struggling, and even the presence of a heavy wrap itself can alter an athlete's function as it limits foot motion."

As for the prognosis, Stephania says it all depends on how well the tendon heals while Peavy is in the solid cast. "The best case scenario is they see evidence of tissue healing when they re-examine him. He progresses to a walking boot (where he can also resume direct therapy), then a normal shoe, then resumes baseball activity gradually; that's the 8-12 weeks (i.e., maybe September). The worst case scenario is if the tendon does not repair itself and ends up requiring some sort of surgical intervention. The time frame would need to be re-evaluated at that point, but it would be clearly season-ending."

So, forget about any no-trade clause in Peavy's contract. The injury pretty much puts the kibosh on any deal right now, and White Sox management is probably breathing a huge sigh of relief. (Sure the injury took place the day after Peavy rejected the trade, while running the bases against the Cubs, but still … Ozzie and company will spin this to their advantage, just you wait.)

In the meantime, Padres fans are getting a sneak peek at what life after Peavy will look like, and without the promise of any future prospects acquired in the fire sale. Josh Geer, called on to fill in for Peavy on Saturday, was more like a "deuce" than an "ace." He allowed seven runs on nine hits in only 5 2/3 innings of work. No starter on the staff has a winning record, and Chris Young is the closest to Peavy's 3.97 ERA … at 4.76.

It can definitely get a lot worse, and quite frankly, I'm pretty sure it will.

Previous editions: June 11: Verlander dominant again | June 12: Who will Smoltz replace?

• Roy Oswalt seems to be fine after dealing with a wrist injury that pushed his start back two days to Saturday. Oswalt threw seven innings against the Diamondbacks, allowing only one run. If anything, the Astros are more concerned with Carlos Lee, who needed to leave the game with cramping in his left leg, and is being listed as day-to-day.

• Manny Acta told the Washington Post that he "hasn't heard anything" about an impending firing, despite rampant rumors that he will get the axe on Monday. If the Nationals were interested in rallying behind their skipper, they've got a strange way of showing it. Tampa Bay's Ben Zobrist blasted a three-run homer to lead the Rays to an 8-3 win over Washington on Saturday.

• Jose Lopez went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, but was the only Mariners' player who did anything against Jason Marquis and the Rockies. Marquis didn't get the win, as Manny Corpas pulled the old "blow the save, get the win" trick, but the starter did lower his ERA to 3.77 on the year. The Mariners' starter in the game was Brandon Morrow, who was on a pitch count of 60, and blew through those pitches quickly, walking four in three innings, though he allowed only one run.

• Paul Konerko went 2-for-4 and Gordon Beckham drove in two runs with a double as Manny Parra was completely ineffective for the Brewers against the White Sox. After allowing six earned runs in only 1 2/3 innings, Parra was optioned to Triple-A Nashville. In fact, Parra was demoted before the game even ended, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, to ensure that left-handed reliever Chris Narveson could have enough time to make it to the park for Sunday's game.

• Freddy Sanchez hit a grand slam to help give Zach Duke plenty of cushion against Detroit on Saturday. Duke is now 7-4 after holding the Tigers to three earned runs over eight innings. It's been feast or famine for Pittsburgh's offense this season. They've had 19 games where they've scored seven or more runs, winning them all, but have only scored 69 runs in their 33 losses, barely more than two a game.

• Delays can screw up a perfectly good pitcher's duel, as evidenced by what happened in Texas last night. Randy Wolf and Scott Feldman both threw five scoreless innings, but a one-hour, 41-minute delay due to a power outage sent both pitchers to an early shower. The only silver lining is that since both pitchers threw so few pitches, perhaps their next starts can be pushed up a day or two.