Ivan Nova was the Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Tuesday night. Wednesday, he’ll mostly be "a cheerleader."
Such is the life of a starting pitcher. Day of the week? Doesn’t matter. The city they’re in? They might not even play there. It’s all about what day it is in the five-day cycle. There’s the day they pitch and then everything else in a calendar that never has a weekend.
So what exactly do they do those other four days? Well, it depends a lot on the player. Much like a windup or a change-up grip, a five-day starting routine can very a lot from pitcher to pitcher.