Nick Pivetta dominating but won’t return to Red Sox rotation; here’s why

BOSTON — With Chris Sale, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock injured, the Red Sox have two open spots in their starting rotation. Nick Pivetta has plenty of experience as a starter, has been brilliant for two months, and is now stretched out to the point where he can pitch at least five innings every five days.

On paper, it seems like the natural next step would be to put Pivetta back in the rotation, where he pitched for the first six weeks of the season. But according to manager Alex Cora, that’s not going to happen.

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Though Cora hinted earlier in the week that the Red Sox might be building up Pivetta’s arm strength for a potential return to the rotation, the club plans to keep the right-hander in the bullpen as a bulk reliever for the foreseeable future. Instead of starting, Pivetta will pitch the majority of the innings every fifth day. It’s a move that bucks conventional thinking, but one the Red Sox believe in. It worked Friday, when Pivetta followed a two-inning appearance by opener Brennan Bernardino and struck out eight Athletics hitters over a largely dominant five innings in a 7-3 win.

“He gave us five,” Cora said. “If he starts and goes five, then it’s the same thing. It really doesn’t matter. Maybe in the stats or whatever. But at the end of the day, he’s getting his innings and he has been dominant. I think the last thing we have to worry about is for him to become a starter. He’s going to get a lot of outs and he knows it. When? It’s just a matter of how the game dictates.

“We like this structure,” Cora said. “It gives you the liberty of bringing him whenever you feel like it as far as the lineup.”

After posting a 6.30 ERA in eight starts to begin the season, Pivetta was demoted to the bullpen in mid-May when the Red Sox welcomed both Whitlock and lefty James Paxton back from the injured list. At first, Pivetta worked as a multi-inning reliever before settling into a traditional late-inning setup role in the first half of June. From May 31 to June 12, he made six appearances of one inning or less and even got into back-to-back games at one point.

By the second half of last month, with Sale and Houck both injured and Kutter Crawford moving back to the rotation, Pivetta once again began to pitch in a bulk role, tossing three innings on June 18, 3 ⅓ innings on June 28 and four frames in relief of the injured Whitlock on Sunday in Toronto. Cora avoided using Pivetta all week in advance of Friday, which was slated to be a bullpen game against Oakland.

As the week went on, Cora considered using rookie lefties Brandon Walter and/or Chris Murphy as his bulk pitchers Friday but decided upon Pivetta once he needed five innings out of his bullpen in Thursday’s win over Texas. After two scoreless innings for Bernardino, the game became Pivetta’s. Other than a Seth Brown two-run homer in the seventh after a fluke Shea Langeliers double, Pivetta was dominant. He allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits while becoming the first Sox pitcher in more than a year to record eight or more strikeouts in a relief appearance. He threw 76 pitches, his most in a game since May 16 (his last start).

“Just went out there and pounded the strike zone and got ahead of guys,” Pivetta said.

Pivetta has thrived in every bullpen role he has assumed since transitioning there nearly two months ago. In 29 innings over 14 relief outings since the move, he owns a 2.79 ERA while striking out 39 batters and walking only 12. After repeatedly bristling at the suggestion he’d be moved to the bullpen after leading the Red Sox in starts last year, Pivetta has given the Sox a lot to like in his new role.

“I think people were making a big deal like he was going to out there and pout,” Cora said. “What’s he going to do, not pitch? If you want innings, you’ve got to pitch better. I think he has been able to attack, relax a little bit and it’s a different mindset. We like this version of Nick.”

Of course, all major league pitchers want to be starters because starters post higher inning totals, and, as a result, make more money in arbitration and free agency. Clearly, the crotchety Pivetta would like to be starting. But the Red Sox believe his value is in a unique role that’s working. Pivetta has been more aggressive in attacking hitters since moving to the bullpen and said Friday he’s no longer treating his appearances like starts.

“I came out of the bullpen,” he said. “It’s a relief appearance to me. I went five innings, it was good to get some length for us, especially after yesterday.”

Cora wouldn’t put a ceiling on how many innings Pivetta might be able to give the Red Sox out of the bullpen after the All-Star break. After tossing 67 pitches Sunday, he was up to 76 on Friday and may be able to keep increasing that number.

For now, the Red Sox are rolling with a rotation of Brayan Bello, Paxton, Crawford, TBD… and TBD (followed by Nick Pivetta).

“If he goes out there and gives us six (innings), it’s great, seven (innings), it’s great,” Cora said. “It really doesn’t matter. He’s a reliever now but we know he can go deep into games. It just happens that he starts his game in the third inning.”