Padres’ Nick Pivetta stepping up as surprise ace when they need him most

When the Padres acquired 32-year-old Nick Pivetta last offseason, they probably thought they'd be getting a reliable innings eater. That's what he'd been during his four years in Boston.

His best ERA in Boston was 4.04 and his worst was 4.56. The most innings he threw was 179 2/3, the fewest was 142 2/3. His best bWAR was 2.5, his worst was 1.7. Simply put, Pivetta spent his whole career fitting the mold of an average starting pitcher. It was good enough to give his team five solid innings every fifth day, but nothing more.

The 2025 version of Pivetta has been a different pitcher. He has a 2.81 ERA in 25 starts, with a 12-4 record, and has been worth a career-high 4.1 bWAR. His ERA+ is 149, a massive improvement on his previous career-high mark of 113.

Nick Pivetta is having career year when Padres needed it most

Pivetta has stepped up as the surprise ace of the San Diego Padres, and it's been badly needed. Dylan Cease and Yu Darvish have not been themselves this year, and Michael King's only made 11 starts due to multiple IL stints. It opened the door for a new pitcher to step into the role of Padres Ace, and Pivetta has claimed it.

Pivetta's been especially good over his last 10 starts. Since June 25th, he has had a 1.71 ERA and 2.86 FIP in 63 1/3 innings. He's 6-2 in that stretch, with 62 strikeouts. He's thrown at least six innings in nine of his last ten starts, and allowed two earned runs or less in all but one.

Pivetta's season can be broken up into three segments. In his first five starts, he was elite, with a 1.20 ERA. From there, he struggled with a 5.00 ERA over his next 10 starts. He proceeded to reel off seven consecutive quality starts in which he held an ERA of 1.01 before his five earned runs against the Red Sox two weeks ago.

He's bounced back nicely since then, however. In his past two starts, both against the Giants, Pivetta has tossed 12 2/3 innings of two-run ball, lowering his season ERA to 2.81. He struck out 10 on August 19th, matching his season-high.

Pivetta's contributions have been a major part of the Padres' success in 2025, and if he can keep it up down the stretch, he'll have the chance to be a postseason hero in San Diego.