Fewer guys in the Red Sox' bullpen this season have been asked to do as much as Nick Pivetta.
From his trials and tribulations as a starter early in the year to carving out a dominant role as a long reliever – usually in tandem with Brennan Bernardino as the opener – to now toeing the line between both starter and reliever for the last month and a half, he's done his best to answer the bell for Boston.
"I know in the beginning was tough for him going to the bullpen, but you know, talking to some veterans out there like I said Chris [Sale] and some other guys, he turned to pace right away and wanted to compete," Alex Cora told reporters in Tampa. "He's been amazing for us."
After throwing 37 pitches in a three-inning save that saw him strike out five and give up two hits and one run in a 9-5 win at Kansas City over the weekend, the right-hander trotted out to the mound at the Trop on three days' rest, ready to do battle with the dominant Tyler Glasnow. Glasnow may have won the day with a dazzling 14-strikeout performance as part of a 17-K night for the Sox (and 47-K series in Tampa), but a heavily taxed Pivetta managed to grind through 85 pitches in 4.2 innings.
After giving up three runs on seven hits with five strikeouts as well as a pair of walks and homers, it wasn't Pivetta's best outing of the year by any means, but after they blew through seven arms in Tuesday's 11-inning marathon, he managed to leave the shortSox with a chance to win, down 3-1 as he exited the game.
His efforts didn't go unnoticed by Cora.
"It's been great. I mean, like I told him on the mound. I said, 'Thank you.' What he did today was good to see," the skipper told reporters in Tampa. "Obviously, he's going to be down for a while and then we'll decide what we do with him. But every time he takes to baseball, you know, he has been outstanding. Just... He prepares, he wants to compete. It's been great."
Wednesday marked the third time in just over two weeks that Boston has been forced to turn to Pivetta on three or fewer days' rest, whether for a start or relief appearance. Still, his velocity on each of his pitches was up compared to his year averages. His curveball in particular was up 1.6 miles per hour, while his four-seamer was up 0.6. Spin rates were up on each pitch, save for the sweeper. Of the five swings at his curveball, three were whiffs, while 40 percent of his heaters were either called strikes or whiffs as he went on to pick up three of his five Ks by way of the four-seamer, according to Baseball Savant.
"I felt really good. I felt like I've been able to prepare my body really well for this and adjust to this very well," Pivetta told reporters. "You know, I'm excited to pitch. Always excited to take the ball, so any situation that I'm in I'm gonna give it my all and do the best I can. Things didn't go my way, but just move on to the next one."
The workload is beginning to take its toll on the 30-year-old, just as it has on the rest of the Sox' staff, perhaps most notably James Paxton, who was slated to start before being skipped over in the rotation. He won't go again until Boston hosts the Yankees next Tuesday.
"We usually don't do this in the regular season, but I mean, he's been available every single day since he went to the bullpen. You know, even yesterday, he wanted to pitch, but we gotta be smart, too," Cora said of Pivetta. "He has a great arm. He's found something. He's a lot different than last year. Last year, I think it was fastball up, breaking ball down and that was it. Now that cutter-slider thing that he's got going puts him in a good spot. So very good tonight."
While Pivetta may have initially bristled at the thought of moving to the bullpen earlier in the year, he's come to embrace the opportunity.
Not only has Pivetta embraced the opportunity, but he's flourished out of the bullpen.
In 55.2 innings across 22 relief appearances, he holds a 3.07 ERA to go along with a 0.97 WHIP and a 1.66 opponent average. Compare that to his 61.1 innings over 12 starts, in which he has a 5.87 ERA, a 1.47 WHIP and a 2.64 opponent average.
His last two outings serve as a great microcosm between his dominant save against the Royals on Saturday and his just-OK start against the Rays on Wednesday.
"It's always about the team, and at the end of the day, of course, I appreciate that," he said of Cora thanking him on the mound. "You know, I do this for these guys in this organization every single time I go out there and compete, and I love what I do every single day. We played really, really well this week, and things didn't necessarily go our way. But, you know, we played some good ball and we can move forward to an exciting weekend moving forward."
Nevertheless, both he and the Red Sox have their work cut out for them moving forward. As Boston still tries to hold out hope and say they've got a chance in the race for the final Wild Card spot – currently sitting 5.0 games back – their schedule says other ideas as they open up a seven-game homestand with three contests against the American League-leading Baltimore Orioles. The Yankees – don't look now, they're suddenly one game back in the loss column – may offer a brief respite, as well as the White Sox, but any one of the upcoming series against Toronto, Texas, Tampa and Baltimore could deliver the final knockout punch to the 2023 Red Sox.
But no matter what, Pivetta is ready to keep answering the bell as best he can, even as the workload piles up.
"We look forward to the challenges that are ahead, but stay steadfast and enjoy the moments."
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