Red Sox Notes: Despite Loss, Nick Pivetta Was Brilliant For Boston

Nick Pivetta made a spot start for the Red Sox, and he was brilliant on the mound despite Boston dropping the series opener to the Seattle Mariners on Monday night.

Although he earned the loss, Pivetta struck out 10 batters and gave the Red Sox 7 1/3 innings of work helping to rest the bullpen in the process.

“I told him that was huge for today and for the next two days,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after the game, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “There are certain days that you’re short and you have to go to certain guys in those situations and he was amazing for us.”

The 30-year-old right-handed pitcher said he felt good after the game and joked about why he came out of the bullpen instead of the dugout in the bottom of the first.

“I just kind of felt like I needed to stay in the same headspace,” Pivetta said on NESN’s postgame coverage. “(Alex Cora) had something to me earlier and the guys kind of joked about it earlier and said, ‘Hey, you should come out of the bullpen.’ I just thought it would be fun. And it keeps me in the same routine, so we don’t have to change too many things.”

Cora wouldn’t commit to having Pivetta remain in the rotation for the time being and also commented on his pre-game routines.

“You saw his preparation,” Cora said. “Everything was like he was gonna come up in the second inning, so it looks weird, but if it works for him, it works for him. We’ll see where we’re at. … He’s built up to go deep into the game so we’ll see.”

Here are more notes from Monday’s Red Sox-Mariners game:

— Justin Turner left the game in the top of the ninth inning when the designated hitter outran a throw to first for his only hit of the game. The 38-year-old designated hitter appeared to grimace when he stepped on the bag, but Cora didn’t believe it would sideline the slugger.

“They’re gonna check on him, but he should be fine,” Cora said. “… His toe hit the bag. We’ll see how he feels.”

— Jarren Durran scored the Red Sox’s first run in the first inning when the speedy outfielder stole second and scored on two throwing errors.

“I was absolutely gassed,” Duran said on NESN’s postgame coverage. “But it’s always fun to cause some havoc on the bases, especially in the first inning, getting an important run.”

— Chris Sale will make his first rehab start for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday. The southpaw is expected to pitch three innings for the WooSox as they face the Syracuse Mets.

— The Red Sox will look to snap their three-game losing streak as they continue their series against the Mariners on Tuesday night from T-Mobile Park. NESN’s full game coverage starts at 8:30 p.m. ET.