The Boston Red Sox (61-52) have had good production from their starting rotation this season. With a combined ERA of 4.01 for their starting pitchers, they rank 12th in MLB, and sixth in the American League in that metric.
Veteran starter Nick Pivetta has been dealing with injuries this season and is currently facing arm fatigue. Manager Alex Cora said on Wednesday that Pivetta will be missing his next scheduled start.
Pivetta's velocity was down tremendously in his previous start, averaging only 91.9 MPH on his fast ball, compared to his season average of 94.1 MPH. Cora had this to say on Pivetta:
"He’s not responding well out of this [start]. We do believe that skipping one, using the off-day, we’re going to reset him and he should be fine. We don’t like the velocity of the fastball. The other pitches were OK, but we have to take care of him.”
Pivetta missed parts of April and May this season with an injured list stint due to a right elbow flexor strain. Having pitched in 30 or more games in five of his eight MLB seasons, Pivetta is facing uncharted waters this season.
Pivetta enters Thursday with a 4.44 ERA across 95 1/3 innings with 117 strikeouts and a 98 ERA+ in 18 starts. While he has not been Boston's best pitcher to take the mound this season, he has certainly not been the worst, either, being a reliable veteran that can eat innings when healthy.
The Red Sox believe that the extra rest will help Pivetta get back to normal and do not expect him to miss any further time.
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