Boston Red Sox' Nick Pivetta on Incredible Run as Relief Pitcher
After being demoted to the bullpen earlier this year, Boston Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta has given the team incredible production.
He wasn't initially happy about the idea of going to the bullpen, but he appears to have found a home there after another impressive outing on Tuesday. He served as the "bulk" guy in relief after opener John Schreiber and tossed five scoreless innings against the MLB-best Atlanta Braves. He walked just one and struck out five.
The following update comes from the Rotowire fantasy baseball portal:
Pivetta (7-5) picked up the win Tuesday in a 7-1 victory over Atlanta, allowing three hits and a walk over five scoreless innings of relief. He struck out five.
ANALYSIS
The right-hander continues to thrive as a primary pitcher. Pivetta took over from John Schreiber in the second inning and fired 56 of 80 pitches for strikes against one of baseball's hottest offenses, extending his shutout streak to 12 innings over three appearances in the process. Since getting stretched back out for a long relief role in mid-June, Pivetta has gone 4-1 with a 1.63 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and incredible 44:8 K:BB through 27.2 innings, and the Red Sox aren't likely to mess with a good thing by moving him back into a proper rotation spot.
The 30-year-old Canadian is in his seventh year in the big leagues with the Phillies and Red Sox. He was acquired during the 2020 COVID-shortened season by Boston.
He's 7-5 this season with a 4.11 ERA.
The Red Sox and Braves will play again on Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media
Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.
You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.