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.
“I think he exceeded all expectations, maybe including himself also,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “Very good offense he faced today, and [he looked] like he picked up from where he left off, dominant Nick.”
Pivetta 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 Stammen indicated he would be.
And 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 eight of his final nine 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.
“I was in the zone and that’s what I wanted to focus on, because that’s what I had been doing in the Minor Leagues well,” Pivetta said. “I wasn’t walking a lot of guys, I was getting ahead in counts. [The Nationals] are an aggressive team, a very talented group. They score more runs than everybody in the big leagues, basically.”
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.”
Pivetta could realistically make three more starts over the final 18 games of the regular season, which should be enough of a runway to build up to a 90-plus pitch count ahead of a potential postseason run. In the meantime, the depth in the Padres’ elite bullpen allows them to be flexible with how they deploy Pivetta and manage his workload -- the same can be said for Joe Musgrove if/when he is able to return in what will likely be some sort of limited role.
To this point, San Diego had been faring just fine without Pivetta, but it’s undeniably better with him back in the mix.
The 33-year-old earned his first career Opening Day start this season after he was the Padres’ most valuable starter a year ago, pitching to a 2.87 ERA over 31 starts that resulted in a sixth-place finish in NL Cy Young Award voting.
“He’s going to boost us,” third baseman Manny Machado said. “Just having him back healthy, having him around is going to be a big boost for us. Obviously what he did today was special, so hopefully he continues doing that.”
San Diego now has more quality depth in the rotation than it’s had in quite some time. What was at one point the Padres’ biggest question mark going into the season has suddenly become a strength over the past month.
Michael King has anchored the unit all season, Walker Buehler and Randy Vásquez -- who shifted to the bullpen upon Pivetta’s return -- have been consistently solid, while the additions of Ray and Mize have, if nothing else, provided innings coverage the Padres were desperately seeking throughout much of June and July. And now Pivetta’s back.
It’s a great spot to be in with a postseason berth on the line. Pivetta is eager to help the Padres see that through.
“That’s the ultimate goal, I want to help these guys win a World Series,” Pivetta said. “I want to contribute to the team winning. That’s what I’m here to do. I’m here to play baseball, I’m here to grind, contribute the best I possibly can.”