Nick Pivetta Admits ‘There’s No Excuses’ After Red Sox Loss Vs. Dodgers

The Red Sox earned an early lead over the Dodgers at Fenway Park on Thursday, but Los Angeles’ efficiency at the expense of Nick Pivetta helped it strike first in the three-game series.

Los Angeles beat Boston, 7-4, in a matchup that was a homecoming for Mookie Betts and a chance to make a statement for Alex Verdugo. Boston’s bats couldn’t keep up with the Dodgers, and after five solid innings from Kutter Crawford, Pivetta couldn’t keep Los Angeles down in his two innings of action.

“Just didn’t have my best stuff (Friday),” Pivetta told reporters, per MassLive’s Sean McAdam. “They took advantage of that when I got behind in counts and put some swings on some pitches I threw.”

Kenley Jansen’s hamstring injury meant there was more on Pivetta’s plate in high-leverage situations, but the 30-year-old understood nothing else matters with the Red Sox in a postseason chase.

“There’s no excuses,” Pivetta said. “I’ve got to be top line every single time I go out, especially against a team like that. I didn’t put us in a great position to win (Friday), but hopefully, the team bounces back (Saturday), continues to swing it like they’ve been doing. It just didn’t go my way (Friday).”

The Red Sox get that chance to bounce back in Saturday matinee action. First pitch is scheduled at 4:10 p.m. ET, and you can check out full coverage on NESN starting with pregame at 3 p.m.