Last week, it was Tanner Houck dazzling in his debut.
This week, it was Nick Pivetta’s turn.
In a season where good pitching has been hard to come by for the Red Sox, their two newest rotation members have given the Red Sox a sliver of hope.
Pivetta, who the Red Sox acquired from Philadelphia in a trade last month for Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree, impressed in his Red Sox debut as he led his team to victory over the Orioles, 8-3.
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The 27-year-old right-hander allowed one run on four hits and three walks over five innings while striking out eight. He induced 14 swings and misses while featuring an elevated fastball and a solid slider.
For a pitcher who’d largely struggled during his four seasons in Philadelphia to the tune of a 19-30 record and a 5.50 ERA, the fresh start in Boston seems to have rejuvenated the right-hander, while offering hope to the organization that there could be a host of reliable arms coming soon.
“I’m just really grateful for this opportunity,” he said. “It’s been over a year since I’ve been able to start in the big leagues. To be able to go out there and put five pretty good innings out there, I was very elated.”
Pivetta had been relegated to the Phillies bullpen last summer after a rough start to the season and a subsequent demotion to Triple-A. Though he tried to regain a rotation spot this season by working out in the offseason with elite pitchers like Lucas Giolito and Noah Syndergaard, he was sent back to the bullpen, where he continued to struggle.
On Tuesday, the potential that so many have spoken of when referencing Pivetta was apparent.
Pivetta issued two walks and allowed a weak single into left to score a run in the first, but escaped the jam by striking out Pedro Severino swinging on a slider.
While Pivetta has used his curveball more often in the past, he wasn’t feeling it in the first inning and was able to make an adept adjustment to relying primarily on his slider working off the fastball. It resulted in seven swings and misses for the slider, tied for the second most he’d ever thrown in his career.
“Obviously my curveball wasn’t really there early, so I was getting a lot of swings and misses on my slider, so you kind of just have to stick with that,” he said. “You throw a pitch that they’re not really making good contact on and to go with what you have that day I think is the biggest thing. What pitches are going to help you get deepest into the baseball game and give the team the best chance to win?”
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Pivetta struck out the side in the third and worked around baserunners in the third and fourth innings.
Though he’d built up to six innings at the alternate site in Pawtucket over the last month following the trade, he hadn’t thrown a major league start since July 12, 2019. So when the fifth inning rolled around, Pivetta appeared to tire, issuing a leadoff single and a walk. But rather falter after a mound visit from pitching coach Dave Bush, Pivetta got Austin Hays to strike out swinging on an elevated 91 mph fastball before inducing a double play to get out of the inning.
In addition to the use of his slider, the comfort with which he threw the elevated fastball was promising given his struggles with commanding that part of the zone in the past.
“He’s swinging up in the zone so why not attack him up there?” Pivetta said. “He’s not making adjustments, but with other guys, you work down in the zone then you work back up and with both of my breaking ball stuff coming up with my fastball, it’s a win-win situation.”
One start is not an indication of future success, as any Phillies fan would likely attest. But just like Houck over his last two starts, it was a good first impression for Pivetta. And after a season full of pitching woes, manager Ron Roenicke gushed at the potential he’s seen from two starters this past week.
“You look forward to seeing some new guys come,” Roenicke said. “And when you see them start this way, you’re looking at next year and what can happen and the possibilities.”
(Photo of Pivetta: Billie Weiss / Boston Red Sox / Getty Images)
