What Luis Ortiz did Sunday during his first PNC Park start was outstanding. His velocity overpowered Cubs hitters. That snappy slider produced some goofy swings, too. In the second inning, Ortiz came up a foul ball short of an Immaculate Inning.
For anyone sketching out how Pittsburgh’s rotation might look in 2023, the utensil used may have shifted from pencil to permanent marker. Roansy Contreras, Mitch Keller, Johan Oviedo, Ortiz, fun stuff. The problem on this day, however, was pretty much everything else.
Pittsburgh suffered an 8-3 loss to the Cubs on Sunday because the offense couldn’t score enough runs, the defense committed four errors, and the bullpen once again faltered when trying to prevent the other team from scoring. It’s a bad formula and an all-too-familiar theme of late.
Consider, the Pirates entered Sunday’s game with the third-best ERA by a starting rotation over the past 26 games dating back to Aug. 28. Only the Dodgers (3.17) and Cubs (3.36) had fared better among National League clubs.
"It’s really impressive," David Bednar said, talking about MLB’s youngest rotation. "I think the biggest thing is that they’ve been coming up and throwing strikes. They’re not scared. They go right after guys. It's a lot of fun to watch."
Unfortunately for the Pirates, Bednar's bullpen has been at the opposite end of the spectrum. During that same stretch, Pirates relievers had pitched to a 6.10 ERA, last in MLB by more than half a run. After what happened Sunday, the bullpen’s ERA over the past 27 games sits at 6.28.
On Sunday, the turning point came in the fifth inning, when Ortiz arrived at a predetermined pitch limit. Manager Derek Shelton went to Manny Banuelos, who gave up a walk and then a three-run homer to Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom. Poorly located sinker. Soared 445 feet to center.
Ugly, yes. The opposite of Ortiz. In his third MLB start, Ortiz gave the Pirates 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball, walking two and striking out seven. A P.J. Higgins foul with two strikes was what prevented him from being immaculate in the second.
Of the 80 pitches Ortiz threw, a quarter of them popped the mitt at 98.2 mph or more. Fifteen resulted in whiffs, 15 more in called strikes, and that same number represented the number of foul balls by Cubs hitters.
"I’ve enjoyed facing tough lineups and being challenged,” Ortiz said through team translator Mike Gonzalez. “At the same time, the hard work I’ve put in is showing. Every day, there’s something to learn. There are ways to grow. I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity."
Seven scoreless from Johan Oviedo on Saturday. Roansy Contreras coming off a career-high 10 strikeouts and looking like a top-of-the-rotation arm for much of this season. Mitch Keller figuring it out. JT Brubaker striking out more than a batter per inning.
All of this with Quinn Priester, Mike Burrows and hopefully a free agent or two signed. The makings are there for a solid starting rotation, if this sort of stuff can continue.
“That makes you excited," Shelton said. "Starting pitching is how you build. We’re starting to build depth in that area, which is really important.”
The next thing on the to-do list becomes the bullpen.
And after that, offense.
Bryan Reynolds can’t be blamed for the latter. Prior to Sunday, Reynolds was tied for 10th in the NL this month in on-base percentage (.385), 11th in batting (.314) and tied for third in hits (27).
The home run for Reynolds came on a similar heater up, which he promptly drove to the notch in right-center, the ball sailing over the 375-foot sign as Reynolds began his home-run trot.
The problem, again, was everything else.
Duane Underwood Jr. gave up three runs (two earned) in the seventh, but part of it was the second of two Oneil Cruz errors. While working the final 2 2/3 innings, Miguel Yajure gave up two runs, including one on a wild pitch. Jason Delay also committed two errors.
Shelton offered his thoughts on each — a communication issue between Ortiz and Delay in the third, Cruz having a do-or-die play that he missed in the seventh, then Delay rushing a throw in the eighth — but there’s an obvious takeaway here.
The Pirates can't afford to give away outs, especially not when their offense needed a mini-push in the ninth — with two runs scored on sacrifice flies — to do some measure of damage. They have to score more runs.
“They grinded through at bats, and we put ourselves in a situation where we were one swing away from it being an 8-7 game,” Shelton countered. “Those are the encouraging signs you see with this young group of players.
“We’re getting a really good opportunity to get eyes on a lot of these guys.”
Around the horn
Cruz has 15 errors through 73 games. ... He and Ke'Bryan Hayes had two hits apiece. ... Ji Hwan Bae, starting in center field, went 0 for 4 with a strikeout.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: September 25, 2022, 8:56 p.m.
Updated: September 25, 2022, 9:54 p.m.
