Nick Pivetta looks good in return to Philadelphia
Nick Pivetta struggled in the first inning, surrendering homers to two of the first four batters he faced, but settled down to retire the next ten hitters en route to a 4-3 victory over the Cardinals.

Pivetta was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in mid-April following four starts and posting an 8.35 ERA. His effort on Tuesday night may have earned him another start later this week when the Phillies are in Los Angeles.

“Yeah, that’s something we’re going to discuss,” manager Gabe Kapler told reporters afterward. “We’re not quite there yet.”

The Cardinals raced out to a 3-0 lead in the opening frame with homers by Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna. The Phils answered with a pair of runs each in the third and fourth innings. Cesar Hernandez drove in what turned out to be the winning run with a two-run homer to right field in the fourth.



Bryce Harper finished the night 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Rhys Hoskins chipped in with two hits and bumped his OPS on the year to .932.

As for Pivetta, he surrendered three runs on three hits over five innings. He struck out six. Edwin Garcia and Seranthony Dominguez combined to toss three scoreless innings while allowing just one hit. Hector Neris picked up the save, his 10th of the season. He struck out a pair.

The two clubs resume their three-game set on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Aaron Nola will take the bump for the Phils, opposing rookie Genesis Cabrera who will be making his Major League debut.
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Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PGordonPBR

BY PATRICK GORDON
Managing Editor
pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com

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