Five things we learned from Phillies series win over Rockies
By John Town
Nick Pivetta still has work to do
Despite his poor numbers last year, the Phillies were adamant that Nick Pivetta had everything it takes to become an effective starter in the league. There was some understandable skepticism, but his numbers early this season were phenomenal. In his first 11 starts, Pivetta had a 3.26 ERA, 2.73 fielding-independent pitching, 67 strikeouts, and 14 walks.
Pivetta’s last three starts have been the complete opposite. He has not gone past the fifth inning in any of them, allowing 13 runs in 14 innings. His walk rate jumped from 5.6 to 10.3 percent. Pivetta was the losing pitcher Wednesday night, tying his season high with six runs allowed. He walked three batters and gave up eight hits. His ERA for the season now stands at 4.25.
During these starts, Pivetta’s command wavered, which was his main issue last year. At times Pivetta will still dominate the opposing team. However, those command issues still popped up and led to issues.
For all the success Pivetta had this season, he has reminded us the last few weeks that he still is a fairly young pitcher. We at least have evidence of sustained success from him now and saw what kind of pitcher he can be. There is still plenty of time this season for Pivetta to work out the kinks and settle into the rotation.