BOSTON — Since being taken out of the starting rotation in mid-May Nick Pivetta has emerged as a formidable weapon out of the bullpen, and Friday he made his strongest case yet for a potential return to full-time starting duty.
Pivetta threw five strong innings of relief, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out eight, and the offense kept rolling for its sixth consecutive game with 10 or more hits en route to a decisive 7-3 win over the Oakland Athletics.
As has been the case in many of his recent outings, Pivetta entered the game following an opener, this time left-hander Brennan Bernardino. The Athletics followed a similar strategy on their end, using lefty Sam Long to help keep the Red Sox from loading up with lefties at the top of the lineup.
