Padres pull Nick Pivetta at perfect time in Wild Card Game 2 vs. Cubs

Nick Pivetta didn’t give the San Diego Padres another Michael King masterpiece. But he did give them two clean innings and a pressure escape for Game 2. He held the Cubs to one run on three hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings, striking out four on 66 pitches. He departed with San Diego leading 2-1 and runners on first and second. Bradgley Rodriguez stranded both, officially closing Pivetta’s line.

3 1/3 innings isn’t length. But the bullpen was fresh and he gave the Padres enough. Pivetta kept the Padres in control, found his best fastball whenever trouble arrived and gave Craig Stammen every reason to make an aggressive pitching change before a competitive outing turned into something worse.

Nick Pivetta’s fastball did the heavy lifting against Cubs

Pivetta immediately established that his stuff was good enough. Pete Crow-Armstrong challenged a called third strike to open the game, only for the call to be confirmed. Alex Bregman then worked a 3-0 count before Pivetta stormed back with three consecutive strikes, finishing him with a 93.9 mph four-seamer. Michael Busch grounded out to complete a perfect first inning.

Pivetta retired the Cubs in order again in the second, including another called strikeout against Seiya Suzuki.

The first real test arrived in the third. Matt Shaw walked and Carson Kelly singled, putting two aboard with nobody out. Pivetta then fell behind Dansby Swanson 3-0.

Instead of nibbling, Pivetta fired three consecutive four-seamers. Swanson watched the first, swung through the second and missed the third. Crow-Armstrong followed with an infield popout before Bregman flew out to center.

Pivetta threw his four-seamer 41 times, averaging 93.6 mph and reaching 94.9. The pitch generated five swinging strikes and gave him an answer whenever the Cubs forced him into the zone.

The command was not nearly as convincing. Only 36 of Pivetta’s 66 pitches were strikes, and Chicago repeatedly forced deep counts. That difference between good stuff and inconsistent location ultimately placed a ceiling on the outing.

Padres were right not to ask Pivetta for one more out

The fourth inning made Stammen’s decision fairly easy. After retiring Busch, Pivetta surrendered a single to Suzuki, walked Ian Happ on four pitches and allowed an RBI single to Nico Hoerner. San Diego’s lead had been cut to 2-1, two runners remained aboard and Pivetta had thrown 15 pitches in the inning.

Stammen didn’t wait for Pivetta to surrender the lead before going to Rodriguez. The reliever struck out Shaw, hit Kelly to load the bases and then retired Swanson on a fly ball to center.

Rodriguez made the escape more stressful than necessary, but he completed it. Neither inherited runner scored.

That sequence is why the Padres built such a deep bullpen. It allows Stammen to judge the pitcher and the situation in front of him instead of chasing arbitrary milestones.

Pivetta did not need to complete five innings to qualify for a pitching win. The Padres just needed him to keep the game from turning before their bullpen could take over.

That responsibility carried extra weight after a right elbow injury cost Pivetta nearly five months of the season. His September return showed that he could still help the rotation. This outing showed how the Padres can use him in October without asking him to be something he is not.

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