Boston Red Sox: Nick Pivetta continues to dazzle on the mound
Gems being spun by the Boston Red Sox starting rotation where expected by many to be few-and-far between heading into the 2022 season.
Sure, experienced starters were present and the Red Sox brought in veterans that once had a dominating season or two. Toss in some young arms and Boston hoped a powerful offense could compensate for the lack of unknowns.
It’s only early June but the rotation is a enjoying a strong start in the first one-third of the season.
At the top of that praise belongs Nick Pivetta, who continued his string of quality starts on Saturday in Oakland. Pivetta did not allow a run as the Red Sox defeated the A’s, 8-0.
Pivetta giving Boston Red Sox A+ effort
On Saturday against the A’s, Pivetta built upon a fantastic start to his June, picking up right where he left off in the month of May.
Pivetta gave the Red Sox seven innings of two-hit baseball without allowing a run. He struck out seven while walking two, finishing his day at exactly 100 pitches.
The 2022 season began on the wrong side of good for Pivetta, as he labored through April with an ERA of 8.20. May didn’t begin much better, with Pivetta lasting only 4.1 innings in a 9-5 loss to the Baltimore Orioles that dropped his record to 0-4.
Since then, Pivetta has been nothing short of spectacular.
Pivetta went 4-1 in May, with a 2.11 ERA. He tossed a complete game in a victory over the Houston Astros on May 18. Pivetta had 35 strikeouts and five quality starts in the month.
Related Story. Boston Red Sox: Pivetta has look of dominance on mound. light
Saturday’s win marked the fifth-straight game in which Pivetta picked up a victory. It was his sixth game in a row in which he pitched six or more innings. Overall in those six games, Pivetta has tossed 41 innings while allowing only 22 hits and six earned runs.
Not that Pivetta has needed it but the offense has shown up for the pitcher as of late, scoring 36 runs in the last three games that Pivetta has appeared in.
Want your voice heard? Join the Chowder And Champions team!
Pivetta also had a strong start in 2021 as well, going 6-0 through the end of May. The difference between then and now is that, while picking up victories, Pivetta was allowing runs. And that trend continued as the season went on, with an ERA that ballooned month-by-month in 2021.
Let’s hope that can be avoided as the season progresses, as the Red Sox will need Pivetta and the starting rotation to keep tossing gems to continue their climb up the standings.
Boston Red Sox: Rotation coming together
Nathan Eovaldi has been a stalwart in the rotation for a few seasons now, and continues to carry an impressive workload in 2022.
Eovaldi (3-2, 3.41 ERA) leads the Red Sox in innings pitched (63.1) and strikeouts (67). After a tough outing in the middle of May against the Astros, Eovaldi has rebounded nicely his last three starts. He, too, tossed a complete game and started off this road trip by pitching six shutout innings in a Friday night victory over the Athletics.
Garrett Whitlock has had a nice transition to the rotation and Michael Wacha (3-1, 2.43 ERA) has been solid in eight starts.
Rich Hill has been up-and-down this season but brings steady experience to the rotation.
Next. Boston Red Sox: How Chris Sale and James Paxton could fix bullpen. dark
Keeping this group healthy is an absolute must, so mixing spot starts with Minor League call-ups or “bullpen” days is something that can be lived with. The unlikeliest players often rise to the occasion in these situations, and the Red Sox will need someone like that to rise up. For now, enjoy what Pivetta is putting out there every fifth game and hopes he keeps this string of starts going for the foreseeable future.