DETROIT -- At some point in early February, Padres brass scheduled a Zoom call to discuss the possibility of signing Nick Pivetta. It was supposed to last about half an hour. It lasted an hour and a half. They liked what they saw. They wanted in.
¡°We were like, man, this is just our kind of guy,¡± manager Mike Shildt recalled.
A few days later, Pivetta signed a four-year contract -- finalizing that deal on the day the Padres began full-squad Spring Training. Clearly, they envisioned big things from him.
But they couldn¡¯t have envisioned a start like this. Because no one in franchise history has ever turned in a start like this.
Pivetta pitched seven scoreless innings against the Tigers on Tuesday night, outdueling Detroit¡¯s Jack Flaherty in a 2-0 victory at Comerica Park. Elias D¨ªaz, Pivetta¡¯s batterymate, provided the entirety of the offense with a two-run home run in the second inning, and the Padres cruised from there.
¡°Well-pitched game,¡± said Shildt. ¡°Fortunately we had Nick Pivetta.¡±
In no uncertain terms, Pivetta¡¯s introduction has been one of the best in franchise history. He has pitched seven scoreless innings in three different starts, the first two coming at Petco Park. With Tuesday¡¯s outing, he became the first Padre to record three scoreless starts among his first five appearances for the club.
¡°Obviously I have great teammates, great catching, and [pitching coach] Ruben [Niebla] has helped me out a lot,¡± Pivetta said. ¡°It¡¯s just the confidence that we have in this clubhouse.¡±
Jason Adam and Robert Suarez nailed down the eighth and ninth innings as San Diego notched its MLB-best seventh shutout of the season. On the whole, these Padres are just the seventh team to record seven shutouts through the first 24 games of a season -- the first since the 1992 Atlanta Braves.
Much has been made about the Padres¡¯ injury woes. Four-ninths of their starting lineup is on the injured list. Still, they¡¯ve been so good at run prevention this season, they can feel legitimately confident they¡¯ll be in every game. Only the Mets have a lower team ERA than San Diego¡¯s 2.77 mark.
After the game, Shildt went out of his way to note the total team effort on that front -- from the game-planning to the catching to the rotation to the bullpen to the defense.
¡°All those things add together,¡± Shildt said. ¡°We really believe sincerely that we¡¯ll give nothing away in competition.¡±
After the game, Pivetta was quick to credit the defense behind him for allowing him to pitch the way he wants to pitch. (Though the best defense of the night came after Pivetta exited, with newly recalled Mason McCoy making a pair of brilliant plays at second base in the eighth inning -- including a lunging catch in foul ground as he collided with the tarp.)
¡°It¡¯s just important to fill up the strike zone,¡± Pivetta said. ¡°It¡¯s important to get balls in play, put pressure on the hitters at the same time and allow them to get themselves out.¡±
Across eight seasons with the Phillies and Red Sox, Pivetta has shown flashes of putting it all together. But he¡¯s never posted a five-start stretch within a single season like this one. Pivetta has notched a 1.20 ERA, limiting opponents to a .155 batting average against.
¡°His fastball¡¯s really working,¡± D¨ªaz said through interpreter Pedro Gutierrez. ¡°He¡¯s got a good mix. I think it¡¯s a trust in himself and the good mix of his pitches.¡±
Pivetta clearly lives off his fastball, but he blends it expertly with three different breaking pitches. On Tuesday night, his curveball was especially sharp. Pivetta threw 15 curves -- eight for strikes. The Tigers didn¡¯t put any of them in play.
This was the version of Pivetta the Padres envisioned late in the offseason as they looked to fortify a thin rotation. It has been only five starts, of course. There¡¯s plenty of season left. But the decision to sign Pivetta looks like a shrewd one -- particularly considering the thin nature of the San Diego rotation at the time.
The Padres needed to find another starter somewhere. Pivetta is proving to be everything they hoped he¡¯d be -- and then some.
¡°He¡¯s a good competitor, and he¡¯s got all the weapons,¡± Shildt said. ¡°I thought he was at a sweet spot in his career when he signed, where the experience was matching the stuff. He¡¯s just in a good situation. But Nick gets all the credit.¡±