By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
When the Philadelphia Phillies return home from their seven-game road trip to play a three-game home set against the St. Louis Cardinals starting Tuesday, it had been known that either Vince Velasquez or Nick Pivetta would start opposite three-time All-Star Adam Wainwright in lieu of the recently demoted Cole Irvin.
On Sunday, the club announced their decision: Pivetta will be called up for his first MLB start since April 16, meaning Velasquez will remain in his new bullpen role.
The Phillies are said to be "excited" to see Velasquez's impact on the bullpen, especially after his Friday night relief outing, according to Philly.com's Matt Breen. The right-hander struck out four of his seven batters faced through two scoreless innings en route to a winning decision. Velasquez's Sunday appearance was not as effective; he retired just two of his eight batters faced, allowing four runs and two home runs on five hits, one walk and 22 pitches (14 strikes).
Just as much as the Phillies are excited about Velasquez, they are also excited to see Pivetta return to the rotation, with manager Gabe Kapler saying, "we feel like there’s been some steps taken.”
"[Pivetta has] had some success and there have been some bumps in the road. [Pitching coach] Chris Young and I plan on having a good conversation with him and arming him with some information that will help him on Tuesday," Kapler told NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury, who writes:
Equally as important in this development is Velasquez’s move to the bullpen. Though the door is not closed on the right-hander being a starter again at some point in his career, the team is committed to giving him a serious look in an important bullpen role. The team’s interest was piqued when Velasquez made a relief appearance in Friday night’s win. Featuring a fastball that touched 97 mph, he pitched two scoreless innings and struck out four
Pivetta previously posted an 8.35 ERA and 2.13 WHIP in his four MLB starts, as the Phillies' No. 2 starter, to open the season. Pivetta was slated to start Sunday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he went 4-1, with a 3.41 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 50 strikeouts over six starts and 37 innings.
The Phillies will have to clear a 25-man roster spot for Pivetta to be added.
