ST. LOUIS - Nick Pivetta is 24, and he is confident. He has produced attention-grabbing numbers at triple A. But baseball will humble all of its loyal subjects, especially the youngest ones.
The Phillies righthander walked, balked and wildly threw Saturday afternoon. He, again, could not pitch beyond the fifth inning in a 7-0 loss to the Cardinals. His ERA is 5.52 through six starts, and while there is potential contained in his right arm, Pivetta is a reminder of how tough the jump from the minors to the majors is for a young starting pitcher.
So it goes for the Phillies, losers of four straight after a four-game winning streak that generated some optimism.