BOSTON -- The battle of the Sox turned into a battle against the rain and an outstanding pitcher’s duel all at once as Nick Pivetta stymied Chicago’s lineup with seven scoreless innings in a 1-0 loss to the White Sox on Saturday at Fenway Park.
“He’s pounding the strike zone with good stuff,” manager Alex Cora said. “That was a good one. He has one more left. He’s been fun to watch, especially the last two and a half, three months. He likes to compete, always available and those were tough conditions that he was throwing in.”
As a steady rain draped the ballpark for the first five innings of play, before getting worse later, Boston’s starter worked efficiently, allowing just three hits -- all singles -- and one walk.
Two of those singles came in the fourth inning, and Chicago found itself with runners on first and third with one out before Pivetta struck out Yoán Moncada and then forced Andrew Vaughn to ground out to short to end the only threat against him all day.
“I grew up in that,” noted Pivetta, a native of Victoria, British Columbia. “I grew up pitching in the rain, so it was no different. It was nice that you had a grounds crew who were able to keep the field pristine, as they always do. They worked really, really hard and did a really good job with the mound and the field.”
From there, Pivetta would send the final seven batters he would face back to the dugout empty handed. With his 92nd pitch of the night, Pivetta struck out Vaughn and then excitedly skipped his way off the mound and into the dugout.
“I think I’ve had many good games,” said Pivetta, who struck out seven batters. “I feel like I’ve been consistent in the second half. I feel like I’ve been contributing the way I need to best.”
This season, Pivetta has split time between the bullpen and rotation, due in part to the injuries suffered by the starting rotation. This was his fourth straight start and his longest outing since he tossed 7 1/3 innings in a loss at Seattle on July 31.
Cora was again pleased with his starter’s efforts, and the manager believes that Pivetta’s second half could go a long way in setting up success for next season.
“It’s very important,” said Cora. “We’re having our individual meetings, talking to the guys and going through this season and the offseason and what we want to do. There are certain things that he did last year that helped him out mechanically. The struggles early on [this season] taught him a lot. He learned a lot this year. He’s in a better position going into the offseason knowing that he can compete at this level.
“I feel super confident,” added Pivetta, who has struck out 33 batters and only allowed four walks over 26 1/3 innings in September. “I still have a ton to work on, I still need to be more consistent in the zone. Being able to put things together slowly has benefited me a lot.”
For Chicago, starter Dylan Cease struck out 11 batters in seven scoreless innings, allowing six hits on the day.
In total, Red Sox pitching gave up just five hits, but with two outs in the ninth, Luis Robert Jr. shoved a backdoor changeup from Josh Winckowski just past Pesky's Pole in right field for a 311-foot solo home run.
“That part of the park gives and takes,” Winckowski succinctly stated.