Nick Pivetta the "stealth starter."

[Dojji]

Lurking behind the opener to come in and dominate in the early to middle innings seems to be working for Pivetta in away you almost never see. From a disaster of a season in the traditional rotation role, Pivetta has risen into a unique self-made role, and he isn't really eating less innings as a result, he's just starting later in the game with less pressure on him to come storming out the gate.

I think the key here is the reduced pressure. Pivetta is often coming in with an early lead in a way that starters don't normally have the luxury of. As long as the bats keep creating early runs for him Pivetta can relax on the mound and focus on just being the pitcher he can be. And Pivetta's stuff has always been excellent, so a situation that places him in a good headspace has been key to unlocking the potential he's always had.

It's such a unique and effective solution that I wonder if other teams aren't studying it. It's not really a new notion, but seeing it succeed this dramatically to turn a pitcher's career around makes me think other teams may start experimenting with it if they have a guy with starter stuff who's just not in a good headspace.

[notin]

He starts off against the lower part of the order and just keeps it going…

[jgar658]

He starts off against the lower part of the order and just keeps it going…

If not broken don't fix it.

[Dojji]

He starts off against the lower part of the order and just keeps it going…

Whatever allows him to get into a groove

[Maxbialystock]

Lurking behind the opener to come in and dominate in the early to middle innings seems to be working for Pivetta in away you almost never see. From a disaster of a season in the traditional rotation role, Pivetta has risen into a unique self-made role, and he isn't really eating less innings as a result, he's just starting later in the game with less pressure on him to come storming out the gate.

I think the key here is the reduced pressure. Pivetta is often coming in with an early lead in a way that starters don't normally have the luxury of. As long as the bats keep creating early runs for him Pivetta can relax on the mound and focus on just being the pitcher he can be. And Pivetta's stuff has always been excellent, so a situation that places him in a good headspace has been key to unlocking the potential he's always had.

It's such a unique and effective solution that I wonder if other teams aren't studying it. It's not really a new notion, but seeing it succeed this dramatically to turn a pitcher's career around makes me think other teams may start experimenting with it if they have a guy with starter stuff who's just not in a good headspace.

I do not think this topic merits a whole new thread.

Plus this idea was/is not new. The Rays have been doing this successfully for years, including against the Sox.

There may indeed be a psychological dimension to allowing Pivetta to avoid the first inning, but there are also two practical explanations. The first is the math. Using a reliever to start does not strain the bullpen because these days very few starters go 7 innings, let alone 9. So it should not matter that one of those innings pitched by the bullpen is the 1st.

The second is the effect on the opposing team's lineup. Pivetta is a righty, so when Bernardino, a lefty, starts a game in which Pivetta is expected to pitch 5 or more innings, the opposing manager is less likely to load his lineup with with lefty bats (assuming he has that option).

[Dojji]

I do not think this topic merits a whole new thread.

Te reason why I disagree is that it's an ongoing, interesting thing that's happened over several games now, and because it doesn't really fit either in the "rotation" (which Pivetta is arguably not part of) or "bullpen" (which Pivetta is also arguably not part of). Might as well break it out as a standout event.

[Maxbialystock]

Te reason why I disagree is that it's an ongoing, interesting thing that's happened over several games now, and because it doesn't really fit either in the "rotation" (which Pivetta is arguably not part of) or "bullpen" (which Pivetta is also arguably not part of). Might as well break it out as a standout event.

But in fact this very topic of "non-starting" Pivetta has already been examined thoroughly on game threads, on the rotation thread, and elsewhere. I haven't checked, but it's probably also been on the fire Cora thread.