On nights when right-hander Ivan Nova is on the pitcher’s mound for the Pirates, there is an eye on the clock and another on the pitch count. When Nova is locked in a pitchers’ duel, as he was Tuesday against Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray, there barely is enough time to wolf down a sandwich or polish off cotton candy before the ballgame breathes its last gasps.
In a 3-0 defeat at PNC Park, Nova went from cruise control to a standstill in the seventh as around him traffic thickened. A gem of a start was tarnished as the Diamondbacks scored two runs, their only crooked number of the game, and forced Nova to throw 26 pitches in the inning.