CINCINNATI -- Regardless of his role, Luis Ortiz has embraced every opportunity to step foot on a major-league mound. He's shown willingness to help the Pirates as a solid middle reliever, has stepped up as a dependable bulk guy and, when given the chance, has shown glimpses of being a trustworthy starter.
On Wednesday afternoon, Ortiz returned to that latter role to make his first start since Sept. 28, 2023. A significant amount of time has passed since that outing, but Ortiz was more than efficient in tossing six innings of one-run ball to help guide the Pirates to a 6-1 victory over the Reds at Great American Ball Park.
"I was excited, obviously," Ortiz said via interpreter and major-league coach Stephen Morales. "I see it as another opportunity to show that I can do my job either out of the bullpen or starting, and that's what I did."
Ortiz surrendered four hits, including two in a third inning in which he allowed his lone run on an RBI double by Jonathan India. He didn't walk a batter and tied a career high with seven strikeouts.
"He had been in a bulk role, which is similar to starting, but to start the game I think the biggest thing is no walks. He went right after them, gave up the run, came back and had a shutdown inning, which was really important," Derek Shelton said. "Overall, really impressive.”
Over his last three appearances, Ortiz was featured in a bulk role following Carmen Mlodzinski as the opener. This time around, with Mlodzinski having thrown Tuesday, Shelton said they liked the matchup Ortiz would have against the Reds.
"I think at some point we knew we wanted to get him a start," Shelton said. "We thought today was just the appropriate day for it.”
That certainly brings up a question regarding what's next for Ortiz. With the Pirates seemingly getting healthier in terms of starting pitching depth, does Ortiz go back to his normal middle relief role? Or has he done enough to warrant consideration for a more frequent role as a starter? The latter, which could lead to the incorporation of a six-man rotation, might be an option down the road, especially considering the ongoing conversations regarding efforts to manage the workload of both Paul Skenes and Jared Jones.
“I think he’s proven he can start at the major-league level," Shelton said. "What we do going forward is something we have not decided yet, but I think the fact that he’s thrown well in multiple roles -- he’s thrown well in a mid-leverage role, leverage role, he’s thrown well as a bulk guy and now had a really good start -- it’s a good situation to be in.”
