During a season where the San Diego Padres’ starting rotation has dealt with injuries and maddening inconsistency, there’s been one constant—Nick Pivetta.
The 32-year-old righty proved his worth once again on Wednesday night, tossing seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball with eight strikeouts vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Petco Park. That performance lowered Pivetta’s ERA to 2.73 this season, during which he holds a 13-5 record over 29 starts.
But San Diego’s bullpen didn’t hold up on a night when its best arms weren’t available, as the Reds plated two runs in the eighth inning for a 2-1, come-from-behind win.
While the Padres have struggled recently, they are still near locks to earn a second straight playoff berth—and when October comes, Pivetta could emerge as the ace in San Diego’s rotation.
Could Pivetta lead the Padres’ rotation in October?
Pivetta signed a four-year, $55 million contract over the offseason with San Diego, and he’s earned every dollar of it this season as the Padres’ other starters have struggled.
Michael King owns a 2.87 ERA, but he’s made only 12 starts this season due to injury. Dylan Cease has been available—making 29 starts this year—though his 4.71 ERA is his highest since 2019, his first season in MLB.
That’s left Pivetta to anchor the starting rotation, and he’s answering the call.
“We know Nick’s going to meet the challenge,” manager Mike Shildt said of his performance down the stretch, per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. “He met it tonight. Clearly we expect and have a lot of confidence in him being able to do it in the future.”
Pivetta may very well be the Padres’ go-to guy in October, but he’s taking it one start at a time. Next up, he’ll take the mound against the New York Mets next week at Citi Field.
“I try not to look too far forward,” Pivetta said. “I feel like you get lost in it. I’ve got a start coming up here soon. I look forward to that challenge. I look forward to that game.”
