'This guy gets after it': Pivetta providing steady presence in rotation

SAN DIEGO -- Nick Pivetta insisted his poor start at Coors Field last weekend was a blip. Then he went out and backed up those words.

In the Padres’ 4-1 loss to the Mariners on Saturday night at Petco Park, Pivetta worked six innings of one-run ball. He struck out seven and allowed just two hits and a walk, re-establishing his fastball to great effect. When Pivetta is pitching well, that fastball is his bread and butter.

He surrendered a solo homer to Rowdy Tellez in the fifth inning, but was otherwise back to his dominant self -- the version of Pivetta the Padres have become accustomed to since they signed him to a four-year deal in February.

“He’s thrown the ball very, very well, been very consistent,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “He’s a good teammate. I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s been a great addition.”

Consistent, indeed, save for that start last Sunday at Coors Field. Pivetta turned in his worst outing as a Padre -- really his only poor outing all season. He allowed six runs over four innings as his ERA jumped by more than a run.

“You’re going to have bad starts,” Pivetta said Saturday night. “What is it to continue to think about those bad starts? It’s just: Move onto the next one, try and put the team in the best position to win.”

As the Padres prepared to leave Colorado last Sunday, Pivetta made it clear he was wholly unconcerned with the outing -- “It doesn’t matter,” he said. And, well, he had a point.

Lots of pitchers struggle at Coors Field. But Pivetta really struggles there. He owns a 17.36 ERA in four career starts. And he’s not exactly searching for clues as to why. Matter-of-factly, he noted that the ballpark affects him more than other pitchers, then told the surrounding group of reporters to check his metrics.

Yup. That bread-and-butter fastball didn’t have anywhere near the same life. Its 20 inches of induced vertical break were down to 16. An elite pitch was suddenly just a normal low-to-mid-90s fastball in the altitude of Coors Field. The opposing hitters pounced on it.

Pivetta’s other pitches were affected, too. Everyone’s are. But the changes in those other pitches can be gameplanned for. Your curve isn’t dropping like it should? Start it lower. But if your fastball isn’t getting the lift it usually does? Well, that’s just a worse fastball, wherever you aim it.

Back to Saturday night. Pivetta’s fastball had its usual life -- 21 inches of induced vertical break, even better than his season average. Naturally, the results followed. He threw the pitch 46 times and got seven whiffs and nine called strikes.

Pivetta retired 16 of the final 17 hitters he faced. Of course, the only blemish on his ledger came in the middle of that stretch -- one poorly placed thigh-high fastball that Tellez launched to the beach area in right-center field.

Otherwise, Pivetta was excellent. Outside of Coors Field, he has been all season. With Saturday’s effort, Pivetta lowered his season ERA to 2.86. Opponents are batting just .193 against him. Thus far, he’s turning in the best season of his career.

“I just try to take it day by day, start by start, try not to get too far ahead of myself,” Pivetta said. “Just focus on the little things.”

Pivetta’s arrival has been integral to the Padres’ success this year. They arrived at Spring Training in desperate need of another starting pitcher, then introduced Pivetta on the morning of their first full-squad workout. He and the Padres have proven a perfect match.

“Nice sign, good addition to our club,” Shildt said. “He’s fit right in, has that real competitive spirit that we like. … He wants to win. Everybody wants to win, but this guy gets after it.”

Pivetta exited after six innings with the game tied at 1, and the Mariners won a battle of the bullpens. Cal Raleigh took Adrian Morejon deep, and Seattle plated two further runs off Alek Jacob in the ninth. The Padres’ offense, meanwhile, finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

After winning six of Pivetta’s first seven starts, San Diego has now dropped two straight. This one, however, was clearly no fault of Pivetta’s.

“He got us through six innings, left in a tight ballgame,” Shildt said. “I thought he threw the ball very well.”

That’s becoming the norm. Forget what happened six days ago in Denver. Pivetta sure has.