Pivetta primed for No. 2 spot after perfect outing

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Chris Sale is out of the picture for a while as he recovers from a stress fracture in his right rib cage. Eduardo Rodriguez is out of the picture permanently, as he gains comfort with his new team (the Tigers).

The other members of Boston’s rotation will have to take on some added responsibility, and Nick Pivetta looks primed to build on the step forward he took last season by taking another one.

The ultra-intense righty is projected to open the season as the No. 2 starter, and he turned in a dominant effort in his first Grapefruit League start on Saturday.

Over three innings, Pivetta retired all nine batters he faced, walking none and striking out five.

“I felt good. Was able to command the zone very well, get my curveball over for strikes, get a couple changeups, a couple sliders -- two sliders -- for strikeouts. So it was good,” said Pivetta. “A good one to build on.”

The start took place three weeks before Pivetta will follow Nathan Eovaldi and start Boston’s second game of the season at Yankee Stadium on April 9.

Last year, Pivetta started the fourth game of the season. But he proved his mettle in 2021, turning in several sparkling performances, including a couple in the playoffs.

“If you look at his outings throughout the season, the one in Oakland, the one in Chicago after COVID, the one in Tampa in the middle of the season, he pitched some great games against some great competition,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “There were certain games that got away from him and that’s part of the learning process. One thing we learned -- he has a good fastball and he can use his fastball whenever he feels like it. It has ride and it has velo.”

At 29 years old, Pivetta is starting to develop a sound understanding of who he is as a pitcher. His catcher also understands that Pivetta’s attitude is another important component.

“He’s a very aggressive pitcher. He likes to attack every hitter no matter who is hitting,” said Christian Vázquez. “That electricity he has, I like that energy on the mound. We need that.”

As for the added responsibility Pivetta will have given the indefinite loss of Sale? He doesn’t really see it that way.

“Not added responsibility, no. I’m always ready to compete, go out there and do what I need to do,” Pivetta said. “We have a great starting staff around us. Everybody is going out ready to compete. It’s just coming together as a unit and going out and competing every day.”

Vázquez: ‘I hope we can get somebody’
With the flurry of player movement still a thing with less than three weeks before Opening Day, Vázquez hopes the Red Sox can add to their lineup. Trevor Story remains a target, but the competition for his services figures to go up now that Carlos Correa has signed.

“We can’t control that. That’s not our job,” said Vázquez. “Keep playing and see what happens to Opening Day. I hope we can get somebody. I know there’s noise outside but you can see all the teams, everybody. We want to be there, too, in October.”

However, Vázquez doesn’t believe there will be a letdown in the clubhouse if there isn’t a significant addition from the front office.

“It’s fun to see the teams getting better and better and, you know, we are the underdogs,” Vázquez said. “Nobody believes in us. We have a great team and I believe in my team. Last year nobody expected us to be there. Two games to be in the World Series and we fought till the end. I think we’re in good shape.”