Nick Pivetta to return to rotation on Monday night
The Red Sox will have Nick Pivetta return to the rotation on Monday night for the series opener against the Mariners.
Boston initially planned to go with an opener for the game, but after using seven relievers on Sunday, Alex Cora hopes Pivetta can go deep into the game.
“We don’t have too many options as far as relievers,” Cora said to reporters postgame on Sunday. “We need to make sure we keep our relievers where we have. Hopefully, we can reset.”
Pivetta hasn’t started a game since May 15, when he faced the Mariners at Fenway Park. Following that start, the right-hander was demoted from the rotation to the bullpen. The righty had struggled over his first eight starts posting a 6.30 ERA.
Since converting to the bullpen, Pivetta has been excellent, posting a 1.98 ERA (9 earned runs in 41 innings) and recording 58 strikeouts.
Pivetta has allowed only five runs in his last 24 1/3 innings, owning a 1.85 ERA while recording 40 strikeouts in his last six games.
“Forget his role, whatever you want to call it, he has been one of the best pitchers in the big leagues for the last two months,” Cora said.
Boston will bump Brayan Bello back a day to give the right-hander an extra day of rest. Bello will start on Tuesday and Kutter Crawford will take the ball for the series finale on Wednesday.
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