Luis Ortiz throws six scoreless innings in Pirates’ loss

PITTSBURGH — Luis Ortiz is saying all the right things about his role with the Pirates. It’s all about the team and pitching when he is told to help the team succeed.

His actions on the mound are speaking louder than those words, too. In his second start of the season Sunday, Ortiz struck out five and only allowed four hits over six shutout frames. However, Aroldis Chapman would go on to blow the save in the ninth, and the Pirates lost to the Mets, 3-2, at PNC Park.

Now, don’t misinterpret Ortiz being a good teammate as a sign he’s ready to take permanent residency in the bullpen. Shoving as a starter is still special, and Ortiz certainly shoved when the Pirates needed it. The bullpen had to cover seven innings Saturday after Bailey Falter exited with what would later be diagnosed as left triceps tendinitis. Ortiz being able to pitch six scoreless frames was huge for giving the middle relief a breather, while also keeping the team in the game despite the lack of offense.

“Oh, for sure it feels good to have that opportunity to start,” Ortiz said, via interpreter and coach Stephen Morales. “But like I said … it doesn’t matter where I pitch. Every opportunity, doesn’t matter what inning, start, the middle, I’m just going to take advantage of the opportunities.”

Ortiz leaned heavily on the slider for most of the afternoon, but he used his four-seamer to finish off hitters, getting four of his five strikeouts with that pitch. His four-seam velocity was up a tick (averaging 97.1 mph compared to 95.9 mph the rest of the season), and now that the pitch is spinning more effectively, the Mets had a hard time catching up to it.

“He was good,” said Pirates manager Derek Shelton. “He was really good. He kept them off-balance, continued to throw, continued to execute strike-to-ball, continued to throw pitches in the zone. It was a great outing for Luis.”

It was the type of outing that showcased what makes Ortiz a special pitcher, one who was a top 100 prospect entering the 2023 season. Last year was riddled with inconsistencies, and he wound up getting an opener for two of his outings in the second half of the season. He broke camp with the big league team coming out of Spring Training this year, but as a reliever. While his results in the Majors last year weren’t great (4.78 ERA in 18 outings, 15 starts, and a midseason demotion), that drop to the bullpen was also partly because he wasn’t putting in enough preparation for his starts last year. That’s not uncommon for young pitchers, and the door was certainly always open for him to start again, but it was a hint that he had to grow as a player.

His results this year reflect growth. He’s pitched to a 2.95 ERA and a 3.18 FIP, he’s struck out 52 batters over 61 innings, and his 2.66 walks per nine innings is the best rate he’s posted at any level in his career. All this has come in a mostly new role, while recently leaning back into a starter’s routine.

“Just being positive and prepared,” Ortiz said. “I’m going to prepare myself for any situation, no matter if I start a game, come in the middle of the game or whatever. It’s part of the confidence that I’ve been building lately and it doesn’t matter. Just go out there anytime in the game and I’m ready to do my job.”

The question is will Ortiz continue to start? The Pirates are down a couple of arms right now — Falter just landed on the injured list Sunday, and Jared Jones is unlikely to pitch in another Major League game in July — which could open the door. Marco Gonzales and Quinn Priester are also on the mend and could return sooner rather than later.

“I would assume he’s gonna get another start just because, two things,” Shelton said. “No. 1, what he’s shown. No. 2, we’re a little depleted when it comes to starters right now. Once we get past the break, you get Bailey back. Marco’s out on a rehab right now. Jared comes back at some point. I think we’ll kind of cross that bridge when we get there.”

Until then, Ortiz is gonna keep saying the right things. If he keeps pitching like has been, the change in role will come.