Nick Pivetta Leaves Game with Elbow Discomfort
The San Diego Padres’ right-handed pitcher, Nick Pivetta, was forced to leave Sunday’s game against Colorado in the fourth inning due to stiffness in his throwing elbow. Pivetta retired his first nine batters and threw a four-seam fastball at 92.2 mph, 1.9 mph below his season average, on his 46th pitch. Edouard Julien took the pitch for a called strike that evened the count at 2-2. Just before that pitch, pitching coach Ruben Niebla took the dugout phone to call the bullpen. After the pitch, manager Craig Stammen and head athletic trainer Mark Rogow went to the mound, and after a brief conversation, Pivetta walked to the dugout.Kyle Hart entered the relief and, after a delay of about 4 and a half minutes, Julien was put out on his first pitch. Pivetta, 33, has a 1-2 record with an ERA of 5.54. Stammen said Pivetta, who struck out four batters, wasn’t feeling 100% and was dealing with elbow stiffness throughout the game.“I just tried to go out there and do the best I could and get as deep as I could in the baseball game,” Pivetta said. “Obviously, I wasn’t feeling good.”
Nick Pivetta
Pivetta agreed to a $55 million contract in February 2025 that allows him to opt out after the 2026 and 2027 seasons. San Diego has the option to shorten the deal after two seasons if Pivetta suffers a specific injury or surgery related to the injury and is on the injured list for more than 130 consecutive days in any season or within a one-year period. Pivetta was on the injured list from April 6 to May 8, 2024, with a strain in his right elbow flexor.“I think it’s similar to what was going on in spring training,” Stammen said. “I think we caught it early enough this time. Hopefully everything’s okay, but anytime it’s someone’s elbow, especially a pitcher, it’s cause for caution.”
Craig Stammen
