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Nick Pivetta got the start for the Boston Red Sox on Monday against the Seattle Mariners. It was a move mostly made out of necessity for Boston, but not a move unearned by the veteran pitcher. Pivetta's dominance in the month of July, and honestly since moving to the bullpen in general, made him an obvious candidate to slide into the rotation.
Things didn't exactly go to plan for Pivetta and the Red Sox in Seattle. However, the game did see the Boston hurler complete a rather impressive feat on Monday. He struck out 10 Mariners batters in the game, bringing his total number of strikeouts for the month to 43.
Pivetta's strikeout total stands as the most strikeouts in a single month by a pitcher with one start or less in nearly 60 years, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Red Sox pitcher Dick Radatz struck out 45 batters in May 1964 while not starting a single game that month.
Overall, Pivetta's performance on Monday wasn't terrible. He allowed three runs on five hits with those 10 strikeouts in 7.1 innings pitched. However, two of the five hits he allowed were home runs.
Left-hander Joe Jacques pitched the rest of the game for the Red Sox. He allowed an additional three runs on three hits with one walk in 0.2 innings pitched. In the end, Seattle claimed a 6-2 victory ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline on Tuesday.
Pivetta's performance throughout the month of July is rather impressive, even with Monday's loss. Let's see if the Red Sox veteran can keep this up through the rest of the season as Boston pushes for a spot in the postseason.
