Greg Hall
Second chances are difficult to come by in professional sports. Nick Pivetta gets such an opportunity Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals after being recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Pivetta was sent down to the Iron Pigs on April 17th, after pitching to an 8.35 ERA across four starts to open the season. He had zero quality starts and did not surrender less than three runs in any outing. However, the Pivetta apologists, myself amongst them, still see the big-time power arm that makes the Phillies’ front office drool. He opened the season as the Phils’ No. 2 starter, which made the decision to option him to the minors even more impactful for the club. They are looking to win now; there is no room for development at the Major League level.
After six starts at Triple-A, the 26-year-old Pivetta looks to build on his solid, but still inconsistent, results. He went 4-1 with a 3.41 ERA while striking out a whopping 50 hitters in just 37 innings. The issue remains the walks for Pivetta. He issued at least three free passes in each of his six starts. He needs to be more efficient with his pitch count if he wants to stick with the big club.
Vince Velasquez was recently sent to the bullpen on a full-time basis, according to Gabe Kapler. While this may signal a more permanent promotion, for Pivetta, that is far from the case. Not only do the Phillies feel they have rotation depth in Cole Irvin and Enyel De Los Santos, among others, but the club will most likely be acquiring a big time starting pitcher before the July 31 trade deadline.
Pivetta needs to earn his stay in the big leagues. His start against a heavy-hitting Cardinals lineup at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday night will be the most important of his career.
You can follow Greg Hall on Twitter (@WePodAndWeKnow) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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