Luis Ortiz Needed to Make Adjustments And Did For First-Career Win (+)
PITTSBURGH — After a pair of inconsistent starts after being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Luis Ortiz had it working against one of the best lineups in baseball.
Ortiz was brilliant across 7.2 innings as the Pirates were able to defeat the Texas Rangers 6-4 at PNC Park on Monday night.
Ortiz was the pitcher of record in the team’s win, giving him the first victory in his big-league career.
“Very happy (to get first win). Full of emotions. Thanks to the guys that gave their best out their to help me win this game,” Ortiz said through interpreter Stephen Morales.
Entering play, Ortiz took the loss in each of his first two outings to begin his year with the Pirates and owned a 5.63 ERA and a 5.79 FIP.
Ortiz faced his toughest test yet against the Rangers, who entered play averaging 6.5 runs per game. Ortiz didn’t back down from the challenge and turned in the best start of his young major league career.
“I would take it against any team. It really doesn’t matter. But with where their hitters are at and what they’ve done and the amount of runs they score, yeah, it was extremely impressive,” manager Derek Shelton said on the performance.
One of the biggest reasons Ortiz was able to have as much success as he did in Monday night’s game was his efficiency.
After seven innings in the books, Ortiz was only at 67 pitches. He needed only four pitches to get through the fifth inning and needed only six to get three outs in the seventh.
“He attacked the zone. He was in attack mode the whole time. You’re looking at the best offense in baseball there. He stayed in attack mode. It shows the quality of his stuff because they were really aggressive. Through the first 4-5 innings, there weren’t a lot of balls put on the barrel,” said Shelton.
Ortiz’s pitch mix was the best it has looked so far this season, but Ortiz attributes his success to one pitch in particular, one that had been a key reason for his struggles in his last start against the Detroit Tigers.
“The difference between the last start and this one was I was more focused on what I was doing tonight and commanding my fastballs better,” he said.
Ortiz’s fastball has been a key for him. Though he hasn’t done it yet this year, he’s capable of touching triple digits on the radar gun with it. With his slider, Ortiz has more or less been a two-pitch pitcher.
Another reason Ortiz was able to find much more success this time on the mound? The establishment of a third pitch — his changeup.
To date, Ortiz’s changeup has more often than not been a “show me” pitch — just something to keep hitters off balance from time to time.
Against the Rangers, the pitch was more effective. He even struck out Corey Seager two times with it — both swinging.
“I’ve been working on my changeup and it’s finally getting where it needs to be. I’ll just continue to throw it, and that way, we’ll get the results we’re looking for,” he said.
If the tweaks Ortiz made on the mound can be sustained, the Pirates might be able to expect more of what they saw on Monday from the rookie right-hander.