MIAMI – Ivan Nova’s time with the Pirates has been nothing short of spectacular. After last night’s start, Nova has a 2.50 ERA and a 3.20 xFIP in 16 starts since being acquired from the Yankees. That impressive stretch includes four walks and five complete games, topped off by a Maddux last night.
It was hard to imagine Nova coming close to his 2016 results this year with the Pirates. But so far, he’s done exactly that, even to the point where he’s barely walking anyone and still getting top of the rotation results. Last night, Nova said that his success this year was in part due to not forgetting what he had learned last year, and what he was told from day one.
“Ray told me when I came here ‘Go out and pitch.’ That’s it,” Nova said. “Keep it simple, don’t try to do too much, stay closed with the front shoulder. Things like that. They told me the same thing when I was in New York.”
Nova said that he wasn’t this efficient in New York. He needed 95 pitches to throw a complete game shutout last night. He threw complete games in 104 and 108 pitches last year. He threw 78 pitches in eight innings earlier this year, and has not gone over 95 pitches in any other start this year, despite going at least six innings each time out. This was different from New York, where he would get to 100 pitches frequently in the sixth inning.
So why would things be working so well for Nova now? His catcher, Francisco Cervelli, saw him in both places, and has one theory.
“I think when he came here, he realized who he is, what kind of pitcher he is,” Cervelli said. “Here, he just slowed it down and pitched his game. Over there, he didn’t realize, or no one made him realize who Ivan Nova really is.”
Nova may have been able to get some added confidence in Pittsburgh that he didn’t have in New York. The Pirates made it clear that he was a starter, and he said repeatedly that this was a big factor in his confidence in his stuff. Knowing that he was going to be in the rotation, no matter what, allowed him to be who he was on the mound. It even allowed him to sleep better after the games.
“I remember after my first game, I was able to sleep until 12:00 the next day,” Nova said. “I told my wife this is unbelievable. I spent the first half of the year trying to get to 12, and I couldn’t do it. Knowing I was in the bullpen, knowing that I’m not a reliever, but pitching one or two innings every nine days, it’s kind of frustrating. I think when they told me I’m going to pitch every five days, I think that was the key. That was what I needed at that point.”
Travis Barnett wrote an outstanding article breaking down what was working so well for Nova since coming over to the Pirates. The changes included a more subtle movement for his curveball, attacking the zone, cutting down on his home runs, and the quality of his overall arsenal. All of those are on the field improvements, and definitely played a major factor in his turnaround.
But you also can’t ignore the stuff that takes place off the field, involving what is going through a pitcher’s head. Nova definitely feels comfortable with the Pirates, which may be giving him the confidence on field to attack hitters in a way to get these results.
Francisco Cervelli Showing Power Again
Last year, Francisco Cervelli saw a big drop in his power production, with an .058 ISO that ranked below guys like Chris Stewart, Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison, and, well I could have just said Chris Stewart to get the point across.
Cervelli is seeing better production this year, with a .189 ISO in his first month of the season, which is a strong indicator that his hand injury from last year is no longer impacting him at the plate. Clint Hurdle noted the improvements the Pirates have seen with Cervelli so far.
“There’s documentation on exit velocity, balls driven,” Hurdle said. “We’ve reaffirmed it with him that he’s driven a number of balls, left-center field, right-center field. Hit them well. We feel very confident and good about that.”
Cervelli’s hard contact is definitely up, sitting at 41.7%, which is his highest total since his shortened season in 2013. His highest total with the Pirates was 30.7% in 2015, dropping down to 27% last year. His soft contact is at 11.7%, which is his lowest since joining the Pirates. He was 15.7% in 2015, and went up to 18.5% last year. He’s also hitting fewer ground balls, dropping to his lowest total since joining the organization.
I don’t expect this to continue at this rate going forward. Cervelli should see his production go down to numbers closer to his career totals. But these are some positive signs, especially if he can get his average and OBP back on track. That would give the Pirates the offense behind the plate that they saw from him in that big 2015 season.
Today’s Lineup
Here's our lineup for today in Miami.
