The definitive Shohei Ohtani conversation
Exactly two months ago we wrote a piece entitled, "Let's not forget the Red Sox might very well need Nick Pivetta".
Sure enough.
The article was in immediate response to the news at the time, which was the Red Sox' decision to take Pivetta out of the starting rotation and put him in the bullpen. Some viewed the move as nothing more than a ploy by the Sox to stash the righty for that break-glass-in-case-of-emergency moment brought on by injuries to starters. And maybe initially there was a bit of that.
But what always made Pivetta's presence in the bullpen intriguing was the kind of pitcher he represented, one with a fastball that made the analytics community raise eyebrows, along with curveball spin that ranked in the Top 12 percent of Major League Baseball.
Well, Monday night should have helped define the two-month conversation debate. In his new role, Pivetta has become one of the most surprising and important stories of the season.
In the Red Sox' 7-0 rout of the A's, Pivetta set a Red Sox record for most strikeouts by a reliever, fanning 13 over six sparkling innings. The six-inning outing - which followed up opener Brennan Bernardino's two frames - saw the righty not allow a single hit.
The performance of Pivetta has likely put him in position for a return to the rotation, with the Red Sox no longer being able to live with the luxury of his presence in the bullpen. The return of Chris Sale, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock are simply too far off, and the cost of doing business when it comes to acquiring a starter might be too rich right now.
But no matter where Pivetta finds himself pitching, his presence and performance has become near the top of the list when it comes to level of importance for the resurgent Red Sox.
The numbers since moving to the bullpen have been striking, with Pivetta totaling a 2.31 ERA in his 15 appearances, limiting opponents to a .124 batting average and .452 batting average against. In the 35 innings, there has also been a whopping 52 strikeouts with just 14 walks.
Pivetta has flat-out become a weapon.
Along with helping the Red Sox win games - which they have done in seven of the pitcher's last nine outings - Pivetta has allowed for some much-needed flexibility and patience while waiting for the trade market to normalize heading into Aug. 1.
The Red Sox not only don't have to be overly-desperate when it comes to finding another starter, but their quest for a high-leverage righty reliever in the absence of John Schreiber hasn't led to too much uneasiness.
Pivetta has allowed just one run in the 12 1/3 innings he has pitched in one-run games. He has pitched nine times in the seventh inning, giving up just three earned runs, while not allowing a single hit in his four eighth-inning appearances. In fact, from the seventh inning and on, the righty has given up just four hits in 44 at-bats (.091 batting average).
In this recent tidal wave of things going right for the Red Sox, Pivetta continues to supply as much optimism as anyone.