Luis Ortiz ties his career best with 7 strikeouts and earns a good starting spot as Pirates beat Reds

Luis Ortiz, the 25-year-old right-hander for the Pittsburgh Pirates, surpassed expectations in his first start of the season, tying a career high with seven strikeouts. Despite allowing one run on four hits in six innings, Ortiz’s efficient pitching led to a 6-1 victory against the Cincinnati Reds.Luis Ortiz, the 25-year-old right-hander for the Pittsburgh Pirates, surpassed expectations in his first start of the season, tying a career high with seven strikeouts. Despite allowing one run on four hits in six innings, Ortiz’s efficient pitching led to a 6-1 victory against the Cincinnati Reds. Ortiz showcased a diverse repertoire of pitches, recording 19 whiffs and 10 called strikes. He used his four-seamer for four strikeouts, his slider for two, and his cutter for one. This dominant performance mirrored his rookie season, when he had seven strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings against the Chicago Cubs. Ortiz’s impressive start relieved pressure on both the starting rotation and the bullpen, delivering his deepest start since September 2022. His timely innings conservation allowed Kyle Nicolas and Aroldis Chapman to close out the game. The Pirates’ offense also contributed to the victory. Rowdy Tellez hit a home run in the fourth inning, while Andrew McCutchen drove in a run with a home run in the fifth. Jason Delay’s two-out double in the sixth scored two more runs, extending the Pirates’ lead to 6-1. The Pirates’ success against the Reds was underscored by their consistent hitting. For the third consecutive game, they recorded double-digit hits, a feat they had not achieved in any series this season. Bryan Reynolds extended his hitting streak to an MLB-best 23 games in the first inning. The Pirates’ victory secured the three-game series against their division rivals. It was a significant triumph for the team, highlighting Ortiz’s development and the contributions of their offense.

Just as Luis Ortiz was adjusting to a life of extended relief out of the bullpen, the Pittsburgh Pirates tapped the 25-year-old right-hander to start a spot in the series against the Cincinnati Reds on the line.

Ortiz exceeded expectations in his first start of the season, tying a career high with seven strikeouts without a walk while allowing one run on four hits in six innings.

After quality starts from Ortiz, home runs from Rowdy Tellez and Andrew McCutchen and a pair of double plays from Jason Delay, the Pirates rolled to a 6-1 victory Wednesday afternoon at Great American Ball Park to clinch the three-game series against their NL Central rival . .

Ortiz (4-2) was efficient in throwing 61 of his 85 pitches for strikes, using a mix of four pitches to rack up 19 whiffs and 10 called strikes. He used his four-seamer for four strikeouts, his slider for two and cutter for one. It was Ortiz’s most strikeouts since his rookie season, when he had seven in 4 2/3 innings in an 8-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs on September 25, 2022.

More importantly, Ortiz saved both the starting rotation and the bullpen before a day off by delivering his deepest start since September 4 last year, when he pitched six innings in a 4-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Kyle Nicolas threw two scoreless innings and Aroldis Chapman the ninth.

The Reds recalled right-hander Graham Ashcraft from Triple-A Louisville to replace left-hander Nick Lodolo, who was placed on the 15-day injured list while dealing with a blister on his left index finger.

The Pirates got nine hits from Ashcraft (4-4) and finished with 10 hits for the third consecutive game against the Reds. It was the first time this season that the Pirates had double-digit hits in every game of a series.

Bryan Reynolds singled to center in his first at bat, extending his hitting streak to an MLB-best 23 games, but Oneil Cruz followed with a grounder into a double play. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead in the second when Jack Suwinski hit a two-strike, two-out single to center and Ke’Bryan Hayes scored from second base.

The Reds tied the score in the third when Stuart Fairchild hit a leadoff single to right, advanced to second on a balk by Ortiz and scored on Jonathan India’s double to center.

Tellez continued his hot June by planting a full-count cutter at the top of the strike zone, 300 feet to left, for an opposite-field home run and a 2-1 Pirates lead to start the fourth.

Delay jammed to left for a leadoff double in the fifth, and McCutchen followed by driving Ashcraft’s 2-0 cutter 400 feet to center for his 11th home run and a 4-1 Pirates lead. McCutchen moved ahead of Gus Suhr to move into sole possession of seventh place in franchise history for RBIs (792), trailing Ralph Kiner by 10.

The Pirates got a pair of singles from Nick Gonzales and Connor Joe in the sixth, both scoring on Delay’s two-out double down the left field line for a 6-1 lead.

Kevin Gorman is a TribLive reporter covering the Pirates. He was born in Baldwin and graduated from Penn State. He joined the Trib in 1999 and has covered high school sports, Pitt football and basketball and was a sports columnist for 10 years. He can be reached at [email protected].