Red Sox Notes: Nick Pivetta Valuable Piece Of Boston’s Bullpen

Nick Pivetta took the loss for the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday against the Miami Marlins, but that mark on his record is deceiving.

Pivetta was clearly Boston’s best pitcher on the night as its losing streak extended to four games with a 6-2 defeat at Fenway Park.

The veteran right-hander continues to flourish out of the bullpen, allowing just one hit and striking out seven in 3 1/3 innings after relieving opener Kaleb Ort. Pivetta was charged with two runs, but both crossed home plate after he came out in the sixth inning following an hour-plus rain delay.

Even with his success since moving to the bullpen in mid-May, the Red Sox aren’t tempted to move him back to the depleted starting rotation with Cora liking pretty much everything he has seen from Pivetta in his current role.

“He’s found his stuff back there,” Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “Where we’re at right now as a team, that’s the role that we need from him. We know what he can do the first six innings of a game, but roster-wise and where we’re at, we need him back there. … He’s becoming a dude back there. His fastball is playing, the slider is good and right now, we’re very comfortable with him.”

Pivetta seems to have no issues with Cora’s decision either, fully accepting the position he’s in.

“Team needs me in that bullpen and we’re doing a tremendous job back there,” Pivetta told reporters, as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “I think it’s a team effort end of the day. As long as I can go out there and do my job and have the other guys come in whenever and feed off that, that’s what is more important.”

Pivetta dazzled to begin his outing by striking out six of the first seven batters he faced, including fanning five in a row at one point. He attacked the zone with his fastball to seize control and had no problem putting away hitters. Pivetta faced Luis Arraez twice — his batting average hovers just below .400 — and got him out both times.

“I felt good today,” Pivetta said. “I feel like I’ve been consistent. Things I’ve been working on have been paying off.”

Pivetta’s night ended with him losing some command and walking back-to-back batters in the sixth, leading him to call it more of an “even-keeled performance.”

But despite that, Pivetta once again showcased his value as a reliable piece in Boston’s bullpen.

“At the end, they all want to be starters. That’s the bottom of line,” Cora said. “But they understand for X or Y reason, in this case he struggled the first month-and-a-half, he need to go out there and become a solid reliever. And he’s becoming more than that.”

Here are more notes from Wednesday’s Red Sox-Marlins game:

— The Red Sox haven’t scored over four runs in a game in more than a week. The last time they had a strong offensive output came on June 20 when they beat the Minnesota Twins, 10-4.

“We’re not hitting the ball hard,” Cora said. “It’s been going on for a while. Putting good at-bats but not finishing them. We’re struggling offensively right now. We are.”

— Chris Murphy allowed his first runs in the majors, snapping a historic streak of eight scoreless innings to begin his big league career. Murphy pitched two innings, yielding two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one.

— Jarren Duran started the night on the bench, but was called upon by Cora in the seventh inning to pinch-hit. Duran ended up getting two plate appearances, recording a hit in both and also drove in a run.

— The Marlins have outscored the Red Sox, 16-3, in the first two games of this interleague series. Boston is now 2-12 against National League opponents at Fenway Park this season.

“To be honest with you, I can’t explain it,” Cora said. “It’s not that we’re worse than them. We’re just getting beat. The Cardinals swept us but we were leading two games. The Rockies two extra-inning games. Obviously, these guys have played better than us the last two days. I wish I knew. We still have plenty of games against the National League.”

— The Red Sox close out their series with the Marlins on Thursday. First pitch from Fenway Park is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.