Nick Pivetta on his bullpen role: ‘Go out and try to pit us in the best position to win’
Nick Pivetta on his bullpen role: ‘Go out and try to pit us in the best position to win’
Since the Red Sox moved Nick Pivetta into the bullpen, he’s looked like a completely different pitcher.
Pivetta tossed five scoreless innings for the Sox on Tuesday night against the Braves at Fenway Park. He led Boston to a 7-1 win in relief of opener John Schreiber. The right-hander allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out five against a strong Braves offense.
Pivetta has been impressive with tossing 12 2/3 scores innings accompanied by 19 strikeouts, this dates back to July 17 against the A’s.
Initially when Pivetta was shifted to the bullepn, the narrative around the move was how the right-hander would handle the new role.
“I think a lot of people made a big deal early on that he was going to be upset and he wasn’t going to accept his role,” manager Alex Cora said. “What’s he going to do? Just quit? He’s getting paid to pitch for the Red Sox. And we had a conversation about it. He was very honest. ‘I don’t like it but I’m going to give you my best. And I’m going to contribute.’ And that’s what he’s doing right now. That’s a tough lineup and what he did today was great. What he did in Oakland was better.”
Since his move to the bullpen, Pivetta has lowered his ERA from 6.30 to 4.11.
Despite not liking the fact he was pulled from the rotation, the righty accepted the role and focused on wanting to help his team win.
“Whenever my name is called from the bullpen, and however long I pitch, it’s just what I do,” Pivetta added. “Go out and try to pit us in the best position to win.”
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