Luis Ortiz embracing bullpen role, demonstrating value as reliever for Pirates

So far this season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have asked pitcher Luis Ortiz to wear multiple hats coming out of the bullpen, even as he acclimates to that new role with the club.

Through parts of two previous seasons with the Pirates, the 25-year-old Ortiz was primarily as a starter.

A former top-10 prospect in the organization, he went 5-5 with a 4.78 ERA last year in 18 appearances, 15 of which were starts, and in 2022, he started four games for the Pirates.

Despite his largely solid showing during spring training, the Pirates went in another direction with their starting rotation to begin the year, leading to Ortiz being assigned to the bullpen.

Rookie phenom Jared Jones having stolen the show played a role in that, with Bailey Falter ultimately beating out Ortiz for the club’s final rotation spot.

A change in duties has far from fazed the 25-year-old, who instead has embraced life as a full-time reliever.

“This year, it doesn’t matter the situation I come in,” Ortiz said through translator Stephen Morales. “I’m here to do one job: just to help the team win and do my best whenever I go out there. In what role or what part of the game? Doesn’t matter. I’m just here to pitch, and I’m really grateful for the opportunity from the staff and the organization, that they let me go out there and compete.”

On the year, Ortiz is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA through 18⅔ innings of work.

His walk total (10) has been higher than desired, but opponents are hitting just .154 off of him.

He’s been used twice in extras and has seen action in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings.

The Pirates have also regularly turned to him in high-leverage situations, entrusting him to strand runners on base and protect leads.

“The biggest thing we’ve seen with (Ortiz) is when he’s good, he stays in that attack mode,” said manager Derek Shelton. “He goes right after people. When he struggles is when he scatters the ball. The more confidence he gets in these leverage roles of, ‘Hey, just go out and pitch until I’m taken out,’ instead of worrying about how many outs he’s going to pitch has really helped.”

Eight of Ortiz’s 11 appearances to date have been more than an inning.

Ortiz’s versatility and readiness to pitch whenever called upon has made him a valuable early piece of the Pirates’ bullpen.

“He’s competitive but also, he doesn’t take long to get loose,” said Pirates bullpen coach Justin Meccage. “That’s a unique factor for a reliever, especially in a leverage situation. His ability to bounce back — he’s a freak from a physical perspective. All those things as a reliever are awesome.”

Until recently, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Ortiz utilized four primary pitches, leaning primarily on a sinker and slider, which he throws 75% of the time, per Statcast.

Ortiz also uses a four-seam fastball and more sparingly, a changeup.

Of late, the Pirates have been working with Ortiz on developing a cutter.

“Never thrown it before,” Ortiz said. “First time, but it has been working really good, especially against lefties. It’s all about throwing it and gaining that confidence with it. I think we’re in a really good spot right now.”

Falter can relate to the transition Ortiz is having to make this season.

The 27-year-old, acquired from Philadelphia last August for Rodolfo Castro, bounced between the bullpen and starting rotation during his time with the Phillies.

After arriving in Pittsburgh late last summer, seven of his 10 appearances were starts, with three long-relief outings sprinkled in.

“He’s been doing a phenomenal job,” Falter said of Ortiz. “It’s not easy being a starter and then pitching out of the bullpen. The routine changes a lot. He’s been throwing really well and has been doing well with inherited runners as well, too. Just more reps, the better he is going to get. He’s doing a great job right now.”

Falter had reason to be grateful for his teammate recently, as Ortiz relieved him May 5, an eventual 5-3 win by the Pirates over Colorado.

Ortiz took the mound with two men on and one out in the top of the sixth, but promptly extinguished the threat.

When the Pirates scored four runs in the bottom half of the frame and held the Rockies scoreless for the remainder of the way, Ortiz became the evening’s winning pitcher.

“I owe him a couple of beers after saving those two runs for me,” Falter said postgame.

At the moment, Ortiz is likely to stay put in the bullpen.

While he remains an option to slide back into the rotation should the situation arise, Ortiz is content to continue carving out a role as a reliever.

“He just wants to pitch and he wants to help in any way,” Meccage said.