Nick Pivetta hasn’t always be granted the run support he may have deserved, but the Boston Red Sox proved that wouldn’t be the case Monday.
And they did so before the right-hander even took the mound.
The Red Sox scored eight runs in the first inning, benefitting from three home runs including a Hunter Renfroe grand slam. And then they added more to it so when Pivetta took the mound in the second inning, he did so with an 11-0 lead.
“Yeah, I mean it takes a lot of pressure off a pitcher in that situation,” Pivetta said after Boston’s 13-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. “Our job goes to going out and throwing zeros, and competing, and getting the team back in the dugout as quick as possible so they can continue what they were doing.
“I mean it’s really positive stuff,” Pivetta added. “It sets the tone for the series, and then who we are and what we want to accomplish here. So it’s just a lot of confidence, a lot of great things.”
Pivetta scattered 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings Monday. All four runs he allowed came in the fourth inning.
“I felt really good, commanded the strike zone really well,” Pivetta said. “They’re an aggressive lineup so in the fourth inning they tacked on four runs on a couple broken-bat singles, a home run, so it’s just limiting damage as much as possible with such a great lead we had there.”
Monday’s win marked the eighth of the season for Pivetta.
The Red Sox will return to the diamond Tuesday as they’ll face the Blue Jays in the second game of their three-game set.
