During the latter part of the previous season, Nick Pivetta emerged as one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. He was one of only five players to achieve 100 strikeouts after the All-Star break, despite spending most of that time in the bullpen.
If Sunday's performance was any indication, Pivetta is prepared to continue his strong form.
In his final spring start, Pivetta managed to strike out nine batters in six solid innings as the Red Sox secured an 8-6 win over the Minnesota Twins. Pivetta allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk, and Reese McGuire hit a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the eighth, turning a 5-4 deficit into an 8-5 lead. The Twins scored a run back in the ninth and loaded the bases with two outs, but the Red Sox managed to hold them off.
Pivetta started strong, facing the minimum number of batters until the bottom of the third when the Twins got an infield single, took advantage of a fielding error by Rafael Devers and scored on an RBI single by Edouard Julien. The Twins added two runs with a Matt Wallner home run in the fourth. However, Pivetta then took control, striking out the last three batters he faced in the sixth.
The Red Sox fielded all of their expected starters against the Twins, with the exception of C.J. Cron at first base instead of Triston Casas. Jarren Duran had an impressive performance, going 3 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI, while Trevor Story contributed with a 1 for 3 performance and three RBIs, including a two-run single and a sacrifice fly.
After Pivetta left, Minnesota took a 5-3 lead when Carlos Correa hit a two-run double off Josh Winckowski in the seventh. However, Story reduced the deficit to one with his sac fly, and McGuire sealed the victory with his grand slam in the eighth.
With this win, the Red Sox and Twins conclude their Chairman’s Cup series tied, both with 3-3 records against each other in Grapefruit League play. Boston (17-11-2) has one game left in Fort Myers before leaving for Texas. The Red Sox are scheduled to play two final exhibition games against the Texas Rangers before heading to Seattle for Opening Day.
