SAN DIEGO -- The mere sight of Nick Pivetta trotting out to a Major League mound on Monday afternoon was encouraging for the Padres.
The ensuing result? Even more so.
After missing nearly five months with a flexor strain in his right elbow, the right-hander was activated from the 60-day injured list and made his long-awaited return in the series opener against the Nationals at Petco Park, tossing five scoreless innings and earning the win in the Padres’ 3-2 victory.
He was limited to 63 pitches after throwing just 64 in 4 1/3 innings in his final rehab start with Triple-A El Paso on Aug. 30, right in line with where Padres manager Craig Stammen indicated he would be.
Pivetta made the most of it. He retired the first six men he faced, a stretch that included a spectacular leaping grab by center fielder Jackson Merrill in the first to take away extra bases from Abimelec Ortiz; then Pivetta proceeded to put away nine of his final 10 batters.
He only managed one whiff, but the lack of swing-and-miss made his day that much more efficient. Only one batter, Nats designated hitter Daylen Lile, saw more than six pitches in an at-bat against Pivetta – a seven-pitch at-bat in the second inning that resulted in a strikeout.
Pivetta’s return comes at a crucial time. Even if the Padres have benefitted from better overall starting pitching since the Trade Deadline following the acquisitions of Robbie Ray and Casey Mize, they need all the help they can get as they continue to vie for the final NL Wild Card spot with the Diamondbacks (77-68), who still sit a half-game ahead of San Diego (76-68) in the race after defeating the Royals, 5-4, in 10 innings on Monday.
Given those circumstances, it felt like the right time to bring Pivetta back, even if he wasn’t fully built up yet, Stammen acknowledged. Pivetta felt ready, too.
“He personally felt very confident in how he was feeling and how he was throwing the ball,” Stammen said pregame. “I think that probably swayed our decision [to activate him] more than anything. His ability in Triple-A to have a couple of good outings where he looked sharp, passed the eye test, passed the video test. We felt comfortable that this was the spot for him.”