The savvy signing of right-hander Nick Pivetta is a bright spot for San Diego through the first month of the regular season. The pitcher kept the trend going against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night.

When A.J. Preller inked Nick Pivetta to a four-year, $55 million contract to start Spring Training in mid-February, the expectation was for the righty to be serviceable from the fourth spot in the starting rotation. Through six starts this season, Pivetta has outperformed all expectations set upon him. He’s 5-1 with a 1.78 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched.

Through his first eight Big League seasons, Pivetta has never pitched to an ERA under four. He’s already tossed three scoreless outings and kept his walks in-check through the season’s first month. Perhaps a change of scenery and a few adjustments were what he needed.

Tuesday night, Pivetta held a scorching San Francisco Giants offense at bay. He tossed 5.1 innings of three-run baseball while striking out nine batters on 89 pitches.

There was one particular moment in the top half of the fifth inning, though, where catcher Elias Díaz, joined by Padres infielders and Ruben Niebla, called for a mound visit while Pivetta held a 2-2 count on Mike Yastrzemski. It seemed the righty was tipping his pitches.

A seemingly amped-up Pivetta would blow a 96 mph fastball by Yastrzemski after the visit to end the frame. He’d run backwards towards the San Diego dugout while shouting in the direction of Patrick Bailey, who was left stranded at second base. It was clear Pivetta felt Bailey might have been up to something complicit.

“I think I was probably tipping my pitches, so I had to probably switch that up,” Pivetta said postgame. “I don’t know if I was or not, but that’s a part of the game.”

Nick Pivetta’s 2Ks in the 5th.

8Ks thru 5. pic.twitter.com/xuSPdHjf33

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 30, 2025

Adjustments for success

Since his arrival in America’s Finest City, there’s been a certain moxie and presence to him on the mound. Perhaps a change of scenery and a few adjustments is what he needed. Credit ‘Pitch Doctor’, Ruben Niebla, for the results Pivetta is seeing. The two have worked together closely since Pivetta stepped foot in spring camp.

After his season debut against the Atlanta Braves on April 30, Niebla had this to say on what he and Pivetta had been working on:

“We’re bringing back some shapes that he’s done in the past,” Niebla said. “We are building still. We’re trying to identify the ones he used to throw, free him up to do that a little bit more and then be able to say, ‘OK, this one you can make it a little bit more depthier’ or ‘We can make it open it up’ or ‘This one needs to compliment this a little bit better.’ So we are still trying to shape him up a little bit.”

Niebla has encouraged the right-hander to keep incorporating his sweeper throughout his outings. The breaking pitch has seen a significant jump in usage since 2023, when he only used the pitch five percent of the time. Through his first five starts, Pivetta has broken out his sweeper 18 percent of the time, while inducing a vertical drop of 36.1 inches and generating a 41.5 percent whiff rate on the pitch. Per Baseball Savant, he ranks in the 95th percentile in Breaking Run Value.

Nick Pivetta, Wicked Sweepers. ? pic.twitter.com/EPQva14aSU

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 23, 2025

Perhaps the biggest change Pivetta made is pitching from the first base side of the pitching rubber. Ruben Niebla suggested the adjustment to allow the 6-foot-5 pitcher to change the angle at which he attacks the plate. While pitching from the third base side of the rubber, Pivetta often felt the need to start his breaking pitches behind a right-handed batter’s head to effectively land the pitch in the strike zone. It would also cause him to yank and pull pitches when trying to work inside against righties.

Keeping it going

It seemed like Nick Pivetta was an afterthought before signing with the Padres in mid-February. Now, the pitcher is being recognized as one of the game’s most intense competitors on the mound.

Nick Pivetta through 6 starts with the @Padres:

35.1 IP
21 H
1.78 ERA (7 ER)
39 K
.169 BAA@markdero7 takes a deep dive into San Diego’s right-hander and his dominant heater. pic.twitter.com/BTQ6pDltMp

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 30, 2025

Pivetta’s impressive start to the year will only keep him pitching to his fullest capacity. He is now 4-0 with a 1.42 ERA at home. Safe to say he’s comfortable pitching in San Diego’s marine layer environment. His next start will likely be on the road at PNC Park against the Pirates as the Friars embark on a three-city tour before coming back to America’s Finest City.

Armando Dueñas

Armando Dueñas is a 25 year-old journalist. He is a native San Diegan who grew up in the South Bay area. A lifelong Padres fan and baseball enthusiast, he resides just about fifteen minutes from Petco Park, where his love of the game began.