SEATTLE -- Over the last two months, Nick Pivetta turned himself into one of the best bulk-inning pitchers in baseball. But on Monday night, due to the Red Sox having a spent bullpen, he got to start for the first time since May 16.

Given how superstitious baseball players and teams are by nature, Pivetta’s teammates implored him to go straight from the bullpen to the mound in the first inning, rather than do what starting pitchers traditionally do and sit to the dugout for a few minutes before taking the hill.

Pivetta took their advice and put together a stellar outing, albeit in his team’s 6-2 loss to the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.

This one was not on Pivetta, who left with his Red Sox down, 2-1, and was ultimately charged with three runs.

The righty again answered the bell, turning in his longest performance of the season by innings (7 1/3) and pitches (104). He walked none and struck out 10. The only blemishes were a pair of solo homers off the bat of designated hitter Cal Raleigh.

Pivetta was animated throughout the game, often pumping his fist at the end of an inning. 

“I just kind of felt like I just needed to stay in the same headspace,” Pivetta said. “[Manager Alex Cora] had said something to me earlier and the guys kind of joked about it earlier and said, 'You should come out of the bullpen.' You know, I just thought it'd be fun. We’ll see where we go from here.”

With Chris Sale, Tanner Houck and Garrett Whitlock all missing significant portions of the past month or so, Pivetta has turned into one of the most valuable players on the Red Sox with his ability to shut down any team he faces. 

In his last 16 appearances, Pivetta has staggering numbers. Opponents are hitting .144 (14-for-97) against him in that span. He has a 1.88 ERA while striking out 62 in those 43 innings.

“We’re not surprised,” said Red Sox center fielder Jarren Duran. “Nick is an absolute stud. [Justin Turner] was chirping at him to come out of the ‘pen and not come out of the dugout. It was awesome to see him come from the bullpen to the mound."

It remains to be seen how Pivetta will be used going forward, but it should become more clear by Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline.

Pivetta is already stretched out, so there’s certainly a chance he could move back to the rotation. Sale, Houck and Whitlock should all be back in August, but each could have abbreviated Minor League rehab stints and essentially get stretched out with the Red Sox.

If the Red Sox come back and win this series in Seattle, Cora will undoubtedly look back at what Pivetta did in the opener.

“That was huge for us,” said Cora. “Him going deep into the game, where we were bullpen-wise, I told him that was huge for today and for the next two days. There are certain days that you’re short and you have to go to certain guys in those situations, and he was amazing for us.”

While the Red Sox continued to slump offensively on this West Coast trip, losing for the third day in a row, there was one standout moment.

When Duran walked in the top of the first, it was hard to predict the craziness was about to happen. As he stole second and went into the base with a headfirst dive, catcher Tom Murphy’s throw soared into center field. Duran then motored into third with a slide. This time, it was center fielder Julio Rodríguez making a throw that was wide of the intended target. Duran got up one more time and roared home, sliding in headfirst.

“We were talking about how it’s not just the speed, but the stamina,” said Cora. “You’ve got to be powerful, too. Most of us, when you get up to go to the plate, halfway through it you run out of gas, but he just kept going. I’ve never seen anything like that. That was fun to watch.”

It was the latest chapter in Duran’s breakout season.

“I was absolutely gassed,” said Duran. “But it’s always fun to cause some havoc on the bases, especially in the first inning, getting an important run and just kind of running around having some fun. When that ball bounced back to the pitcher, I was like, ‘I’m so hosed right now.' But I was able to get a good slide and score.”