Pivetta stung by 'lack of command' vs. Yankees

NEW YORK -- The Red Sox have to be concerned about Nick Pivetta. For the third consecutive start, the right-hander was hit hard as the Red Sox were pounded by the rival Yankees, 14-1, at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night.

Pivetta lasted 4 1/3 innings and allowed seven runs on seven hits and three walks with four strikeouts. In his last three starts, he has allowed 20 runs in 13 1/3 innings. The All-Star break this week can’t come soon enough for the 29-year-old starter.

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“It seems like command is not there the way it was when he got rolling [starting in early May],” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Hopefully, he will get a break, reset and be ready for his first start after the All-Star break.”

After Rafael Devers got Boston's offense started with a solo shot in the first inning -- his third consecutive game with a home run -- the Yankees didn’t waste time getting to Pivetta, scoring four runs in the bottom of the frame. Matt Carpenter highlighted the scoring with a three-run homer.

Pivetta, who was arguably the Red Sox’s best starting pitcher for most of the first half, settled down for the next few innings, but he was hit hard again in the fifth. Aaron Judge hit the first of his two home runs in the game before Pivetta departed with runners on first and second and one out. Into the game came left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez, who allowed a three-run homer to Carpenter to put the game out of reach.

Pivetta didn’t have to think twice about what he was doing wrong on the mound.

“Lack of command, I got behind in a lot of counts,” Pivetta said. “The rest is history. Carpenter took the 1-1 curveball over the fence. I was able to bear down a couple of innings after that, but it is what it is.”

Carpenter drove in seven runs and became the first Yankees outfielder with seven RBIs in a game against the Red Sox since Joe DiMaggio in Game 2 of a doubleheader on Aug. 13, 1940.

"I've had stretches in my career where I've run into some homers piling up pretty quickly,” Carpenter said. “I just really feel good with where I'm at with my swing and my approach when I get in the box. I feel like I've got a pretty good game plan when I step in there, and I'm just trying to execute it."

Cora didn’t like what he saw from Pivetta on this night.

“[Pivetta] wasn’t sharp. When you do it against a team like that, that’s what’s going to happen,” Cora said. “He left a breaking ball [up] to Carpenter. He put a good swing on it. … We were in trouble from the get-go.”

Pivetta plans to look at video to try to figure out what he is doing wrong on the mound. Pitching coach Dave Bush says when Pivetta is at his best, the fastball command is on point. He commands the zone on both sides of the plate.

Asked why Pivetta hasn’t pitched well in his last three starts, Bush said, "You go through dips, up and down, throughout the year. I don’t know if [he’s tired]. … His mechanics are a little bit out of whack. I’m sure fatigue plays a part of it, as it does at various points throughout the year. But he feels good. He feels healthy. It’s just a matter of getting it back.”