It's Time To #BeBold, Kap

In a subplot on my favorite episode of my favorite show, Jerry Seinfeld is frequently the recipient of good news and bad news simultaneously.

"I have two friends, you were up, he was down," Jerry tells Elaine at one point. "Now he's up and you're down. You see how it all evens out for me?"

"You're even Steven!" Kramer says triumphantly.

And so it is for fans of the Nicks and the 2018 Phillies.

As the calendar flipped to June, P Nick Pivetta owned a fairly sparkling 3.26 ERA. At the other end of the dugout sat OF Nick Williams, who carried a paltry .215 batting average as late as June 12.

The ensuing six weeks brought the ups and downs that accompany the life of a pro baseball player on the fringes.

The steadily hot Williams batted his way to a .304 average with seven homers since June 12. He's drawn 14 walks the past six weeks, a super-promising development for a guy sentenced to repeat Triple A after earning just 19 walks the entire 2016 season (against 136 Ks)

Owner of the sweetest swing on the squad (in this writer's opinion), the arrow is pointed decidedly up for the affable Texan.

The best thing we can say about Nicholas Johncarlo Pivetta the past two months is he continues to overpower hitters. And that may provide some keys to his future.

Pivetta K'd 31 in 21 July innings. The flip side is a 6.84 ERA in 10 starts since June 1. A pitch sequence in the bottom of the third inning Friday night highlights the problems this Nick is having.

With a runner on second base and two outs, Pivetta overpowered the dangerous Scooter Gennett to get ahead 0-2. Gennett was very late on a 97-MPH four-seamer and managed a weak foul. Alfaro/Pivetta next opted for an 81-MPH slider that, well, didn't slide all that much:

Pitch No. 4 was slammed to center to plate a run.

If you're thinking that was an anomaly, it wasn't. The next inning found Pivetta facing runners at second and third with no outs. But he painted the corner with two hard four-seamers to get ahead of Mason Williams 1-2. The bottom of the order followed, offering a decent chance to escape the inning,

And then:

Williams clubbed an 85-MPH slider over the right-field wall, a game-deciding blow as it turned out.

Pivetta's problems are pretty clear by now -- the secondary pitches are not sharp enough. The good news is the fastball is an explosive weapon. But opponents are seemingly trying to survive vs. the hard stuff until they can get a hittable slider.

Regardless of what the future holds for Pivetta, he cannot remain in the rotation of a team in first place by 2.5 games on July 28.

I think he has strong closer potential. Most pitchers gain 3-5 MPH after moving to the pen and going all-out for 15-20 pitches. Nick could bring 100-degree heat, while paring down his mediocre secondary stuff to one pitch -- be it a slider, curve or something else.

The Phillies have a long history of rookie starting pitchers making a late-season impact, from Marty Bystrom's 5-0 stretch run during that 1980 dream season to Kyle Kendrick going 10-4, 3.87 in 2007.

We've seen a little of Enyel De Los Santos and Ranger Suarez and both won their debuts. Cole Irvin (9-3, 2.93) is another Lehigh Valley pitcher worthy of an opportunity.

It's time for Cap'n Kap to pick one and make it a permanent change.