SAN DIEGO -- This spring, on the morning the Padres were set to hold their first full-squad workout in Peoria, Ariz., they introduced Nick Pivetta.
It had been a largely quiet winter in San Diego -- after a bitter October. As their new season dawned, the Padres got a jolt from Pivetta's arrival. Their rotation needed reinforcements, and they landed the top remaining starter on the free agent market.
Plus, they envisioned big things for Pivetta. Across eight big league seasons with the Phillies and Red Sox, Pivetta’s results had never quite lived up to his excellent stuff. Maybe in San Diego it would all click?
Quite a start. Pivetta was utterly dominant in his debut on Sunday. He worked seven scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, as the Padres completed a series-opening four-game sweep of the Braves with a 5-0 victory at Petco Park.
“I mean, welcome to San Diego, Nick Pivetta,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “He dominated counts, had life on his heater, a really, really good curveball. His sweeper was good. … Really masterful game from Nick.”
For the second time in franchise history, the Padres are 4-0. The last time they started the season with four straight victories, they won the 1984 National League pennant.
Naturally, these Padres are thrilled with that record. (How could they not be?) But after their victory Sunday, they seemed more pleased with the manner of those four victories. The pitching, currently riding a streak of 22 consecutive scoreless innings, has been excellent. The defense and baserunning have been flawless. The hitting has been timely.
“It’s just a team effort overall,” Pivetta said. “It’s all 26 guys doing their job, putting in and showing up when needed. It’s fun and exciting.”
Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill and Brandon Lockridge all recorded RBI doubles on Sunday. That was more than enough support for Pivetta, who became the first Padres starter since Sean Manaea to work seven scoreless innings in his debut with the team. (Manaea held the Diamondbacks hitless in April 2022.)
Pivetta was equal parts dominant and efficient, requiring only 82 pitches. He didn’t walk anyone. His fastball had life, and both of his breaking pitches were sharp. Behind Pivetta, the Padres played their usual brand of outstanding defense.
“He keeps you in the game,” said right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., who continued his red-hot start to the season by reaching base four times. “He’s pounding the zone. … He showed what he’s going to bring to this team today, and I can’t wait to play behind him.”
The sailing won’t always be this smooth. Pivetta arrived in San Diego with a 4.76 career ERA. He never has posted a single-season mark below 4.00. But over the past couple seasons, his peripherals have been solid -- which indicates a pitcher who had fallen victim to some rough luck (and home games in hitter-friendly Fenway Park).
So the Padres inked Pivetta to a four-year deal, just as they were set to begin Spring Training. His arrival helped answer one of the biggest question marks they faced all offseason. Behind Michael King, Dylan Cease and Yu Darvish, the San Diego rotation was thin.
Pivetta’s arrival gave the Padres the depth they needed. But they also felt that his signing had the potential to be much more than a depth addition. Four years ago, Joe Musgrove arrived as a depth piece who had never finished a full season with a sub-4 ERA. But his stuff had always been electric, and he hit the ground running upon his arrival in San Diego.
Soon enough, Musgrove had developed into a front-line weapon. Pivetta has a ways to go before he reaches that status. But he’s off to a nice start.
So are the Padres.
“It’s a really great start for the club, for the organization,” Pivetta said. “The fans -- their excitement and energy has been tremendous.”
Indeed, the Padres have played four games, they’ve won all four, and they’ve sold out their downtown San Diego ballpark four times. They haven’t trailed since the seventh inning on Opening Day.
Each time Blink 182’s “All the Small Things” has played following the top of the eighth, the entire stadium has sung in unison. It’s a daily party in the East Village. It’s also a fitting anthem.
“Just a lot of good baseball,” Shildt said of the season-opening sweep.
It has been only four games, but the Padres have, indeed, done all the small things.