Nick Pivetta struggled on the mound heading into the Major League Baseball All-Star break with a 13.50 ERA in his final three starts, but bounced back nicely Monday night.
The right-hander allowed one run on seven hits with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings of work in the Boston Red Sox's 3-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians. It snapped Boston's five-game losing streak.
It was a much-needed win for a Red Sox team that got swept by the Toronto Blue Jays before losing two of three to the New York Yankees. Pivetta had become one of Boston's most reliable pitchers before his struggles set in, and even though he fared much better than in his last three starts, manager Alex Cora still would like to see some improvement.
"He was better, but still the walks," Cora told reporters after the game, per The Boston Globe. "His curveball was good (Monday). His slider was OK. He had a lot better rhythm today. I think the fastball, where he used it, was good and it was up to 94-95 miles per hour."
Pivetta issued three walks in the win.
The Red Sox certainly would benefit from Pivetta returning to form as they fight to gain ground in American League Wild Card standings being 2 1/2 games out of the third spot.
Boston looks to make it two straight wins when it returns to action Tuesday night at Fenway Park in its second game against Cleveland. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. ET and you can catch all the action, including David Ortiz's pregame ceremony at 6:30 p.m., on NESN beginning at 6 p.m.
