Nick Pivetta is headed for the Red Sox bullpen
“The better I do out of the bullpen, the more I can help the team win and move us towards our overall goal of winning the World Series."
After he allowed 11 runs in his last two starts, the Red Sox decided to move righthander Nick Pivetta from the starting rotation to the bullpen.
Pivetta spent the entirety of Wednesday’s win over Seattle with the other relievers in the outfield, and manager Alex Cora made the official announcement following the contest.
On the season, the 30-year-old has allowed 28 earned runs in 40 innings of work, but he initially opened the year as the lone bright spot in Boston’s rotation.
Pivetta allowed just one earned run between his first two starts as the team’s No. 5 starter.
Since then, the road has been rocky for the righty, and other arms have rejoined the team along the way.
Over the past few weeks as Pivetta’s ERA has ballooned, starters like Brayan Bello and James Paxton have proven their worth for the Red Sox.
Over his past four starts Bello has a 2.19 ERA, and Paxton allowed just two runs in his five-inning season debut on May 12.
The rest of the rotation around Bello and Paxton will stay the same with Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, and Tanner Houck claiming the other three spots.
Out of the bullpen, Pivetta will serve as the main long reliever/innings eater for the Red Sox as the rest of their relievers don’t have much experience with extended appearances.
In his career, Pivetta has made 22 major league appearances as a reliever but just one since joining Boston during the 2020 season.
In those 22 appearances, he has a 6.12 ERA compared to a 5.04 ERA in 144 games as a starter.
When asked about the change, Pivetta handled it with grace.
“I just got moved to the bullpen, so that’s where I belong and that’s where I’m hanging out,” Pivetta said. “I’m going to focus on helping the team achieve our goals. I’m gonna go out there and do my job and throw up zeros and help this team win.”
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