Pivetta (0-3) was charged with the loss after allowing five runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out four over four innings in Wednesday's 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays.
Pivetta's ERA climbed to 10.03 following his third start, and none of have offered much promise. He's been fighting mechanics and reduced velocity, which reared itself early Wednesday, particularly in Toronto's five-run second inning. His final two innings were better after pitching coach Dave Bush talked to the right-hander about his mechanics, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. "Honestly, I believe the last two innings were his best innings so far out of the three outings (this season)," manager Alex Cora said. "Velocity went up. There was some 95, 96 (mph). It seems like he was more aggressive with the fastball." Pivetta will get a chance for revenge in his next scheduled start, which lines up for Monday on the road in Toronto.