Luis Ortiz rebounding after horrible stretch could be good sign for 2025 Pirates

Entering Sunday's start against the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Luis Ortiz was in the midst of a major slump. He had posted a 6.26 ERA in his previous five starts, and while he'd limited opposing hitters to a .228 batting average, he wasn't getting good results.

During those previous five starts, Ortiz had racked up 19 earned runs on 23 hits – including nine home runs – and 10 walks in 27 1/3 innings. He especially struggled in his first four appearances in the month of August, tallying a 6.45 ERA and an 0-2 record across 22 1/3 innings while allowing eight home runs.

That stretch was certainly bad in its own right, but especially so considering it followed a span of four starts in which Ortiz surrendered just two runs, paired nicely with three walks and 19 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings. He allowed four hits or fewer in each of those starts.

Ortiz started to look like his old self Sunday against the Reds, though he didn't get the win to show for it. He allowed just four hits and one walk with five strikeouts across six scoreless innings before being relieved by Kyle Nicolas in the seventh. Nicolas gave up two earned runs, and the Pirates trailed by a run heading into the bottom of the ninth when Yasmani Grandal cranked a walk-off, two-run homer to secure the comeback victory. Aroldis Chapman, who pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Pirates, was credited with the win.

Luis Ortiz rebounding after horrible stretch could be good sign for 2025 Pirates

Ortiz now has a 3.36 ERA and an 83:32 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 32 appearances (10 starts) spanning 107 innings this season. Despite starting for the majority of his career, Ortiz he shifted to the Pirates' bullpen to start the season, where he posted a respectable 3.49 ERA in 22 relief appearances.

Before the start of the 2024 season, Ortiz had been in competition for the fifth spot in the Pirates' starting rotation, which was eventually awarded to left-hander Bailey Falter. Ortiz eventually found his way into the rotation when Falter went down with an injury in early July; and even though Falter has since returned, Ortiz may have secured his spot in the starting rotation for good thanks to Marco Gonzales landing on the 60-day injured list.

Gonzales has a club option for $15 million next season, which all but guarantees he won't be back with the Pirates. With Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, Paul Skenes and Falter rounding out the rest of the Pirates' rotation, that fifth spot is Ortiz's to lose – especially if he keeps pitching the way he did Sunday against the Reds.

More Pirates content from Rum Bunter