MILWAUKEE -- The Padres have tabbed right-hander Nick Pivetta to start Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Brewers on Tuesday in San Diego, manager Craig Stammen announced.
The decision shouldn’t come as a surprise. Pivetta followed Michael King in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series vs. the Cubs, and would be pitching on five days of rest. Walker Buehler, meanwhile, remains on the paternity list, and could be lined up to pitch a potential Game 4.
Pivetta missed five months this season due to a flexor strain in his right elbow but has been excellent since returning in early September. Counting his appearance in the Wild Card Series, Pivetta has a 1.64 ERA since being reinstated from the IL on Sept. 7. He has become a legitimate No. 2 option behind King.
It’s hard to know what to make of Pivetta’s Wild Card Series start -- he only lasted 3 1/3 innings and dealt with plenty of traffic on the basepaths -- but only allowed one run. And the Padres, playing with a lead, were always going to go to their bullpen early in a potential clincher.
“[Pivetta] pitched very well here once he came back from injury in September,” said Stammen. “Then [he] had a solid start against the Cubs in the Wild Card. He's been able to handle the moment, and we like his stuff.”
Opposing Pivetta will be Brewers right-hander Dustin May, who was announced as Milwaukee’s Game 3 starter on Sunday. The Padres, of course, are extremely familiar with May, who spent years in the Dodgers organization. He’s thrown 86 career innings against San Diego with a 3.14 ERA -- a whopping 50 more innings pitched than he's logged against any other team (he has 36 career innings against the D-backs).
Pivetta, meanwhile, did not face the Brewers this season. In five career starts against Milwaukee, he owns an 8.76 ERA, but most of that damage came during a rough outing (nine runs in five innings) in 2017 while with the Phillies.
In five career postseason outings (three starts), Pivetta owns a 2.86 ERA (seven earned runs in 22 innings).