Pivetta (8-6) gave up seven earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings to take the loss in an 8-4 defeat to the Rays on Tuesday.
Pivetta had been pitching well lately, but the Rays tagged him for a couple of big innings and he took his sixth loss of the season. Pivetta gave up a bases-loaded double off the bat of Kevin Kiermaier in the first and then couldn't get out of the sixth as the Rays picked him apart with hits. The 29-year-old right-hander is in the midst of being surprisingly effective this year with numbers well below his career 4.88 ERA and 1.36 WHIP. The worry is perhaps that the seven-run outing could mark the beginning of his regression toward career averages. Look for him to make his next start against the Yankees on Sunday.