Nick Pivetta moved to the bullpen for the Red Sox in mid-May and has turned his season around as a result. Based on current pitching circumstances, however, the 30-year-old will make a spot start on Monday against the Seattle Mariners, Alex Cora told reporters on Sunday.
Fitting enough, Pivetta last started on May 16 against the Mariners when he allowed four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings with six strikeouts in a 9-4 Boston victory.
The Red Sox were due for back-to-back bullpen days after Brennan Bernardino opened on Sunday followed by Chris Murphy as the bulk reliever in a 4-3 loss. Instead of putting an opener in front of him, Pivetta will simply make the start.
As a multi-inning reliever, the righty has excelled with a sub-two ERA with dazzling outings such as his last go around against the Atlanta Braves and a 13-strikeout masterpiece against the Oakland Athletics.
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Overall in 2023, Pivetta is 7-5 with a 4.11 ERA in 25 appearances in 81.0 innings of work with 100 strikeouts.
The Red Sox begin a three-game series in Seattle against the Mariners on Monday. First pitch is set for 9:40 p.m. ET. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
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