Reflecting on his afternoon postgame, Luis Ortiz couldn't point out what the issue was in the first inning.
When he and the pitching team go through Wednesday's film, there will be plenty to watch, starting with the 40 pitches he needed to complete that first frame. Three runs scored on three hits and three walks, and Baseball America's pick for the team's top pitching prospect entering the year could not land any of his offspeed or breaking pitches in the zone.
If those problems sound familiar, it's a big reason why Ortiz had been in the minors over the past month and change. For someone who has as dynamic a right arm as any pitcher that's come up through that farm system for years, those recurring struggles in the majors are, at this time, a mystery.
Could it be stuff? The 24-year-old fireballer has plenty of that. It was the main reason why he shot up prospect charts last year to become one of the Pirates' top young pitchers. Confidence? It may have been his first start back in the majors after a stint back with Class AAA Indianapolis, but this is the same guy who just under a year ago went into Yankee Stadium for one of his first major-league starts and didn't flinch. That can't be it either.
"Not a specific thing that I can think of right now," Ortiz said, via interpreter Stephen Morales. "It was just not going my way. I was not hitting my spots."
Derek Shelton's assessment was more or less the same.
"The stuff was there," the manager said. "The command wasn’t."
Without that command, Ortiz struggled, walking five and allowing five runs while getting only 10 outs, setting the pace for a 6-3 loss at PNC Park Wednesday, costing the Pirates a chance to sweep the Cardinals.
And in case you needed visual proof, looking at Ortiz's pitch chart that 40-pitch first inning, almost every pitch that landed in the strike zone was a four-seam fastball. Everything else either stayed on his hand side or bit too far down while running to the glove side:
Ortiz would walk two more and allow a pair of runs in a 30-pitch second inning. At that point, the book on his afternoon was pretty much set. Gone was his chance at a quality start or really any chance of going terribly deep into the game.
For a first start back from the minors, Ortiz didn't do much to differentiate where he left off when the Pirates optioned him last month.
"I was just trying to do my job and did not execute my pitches," Ortiz said. "That was it."
If you want to cherry pick, there were things to take out of this start. He cut down on the horizontal cut the four-seamer tends to get, which maximizes the spin and the illusion of rise. While he consistently sits in the mid- to upper-90s, that four-seamer had a below average 16.3% whiff rate in the first half of the season. On Wednesday, he got eight whiffs with it on 23 swings (34.8%).
But it's hard to cherry pick when the game's results once again failed to live up to his stuff's potential. He had shown signs of taking a step forward in the minors, but it didn't translate to his first time back in the majors.
Shelton said the team hasn't had conversations of if this was just a spot start for Ortiz or if he will be given some runway in a currently thin rotation. If it is the former, it seems safe to assume he will get another call to the majors again before the year is through because of the team's limited starter options. If it's the latter, maybe he can get back to what he was doing well with Indianapolis.
"In the minor leagues, recently, he had been throwing the ball more on the plate," Shelton said. "You cannot walk five guys in four innings and expect not to give up runs."
Ortiz's shakiness undermined what was a valiant comeback attempt by the Pirates, though they couldn't get the big hit all afternoon. After a one hour and 32 minute rain delay in the sixth inning, the Pirates loaded the bases with one out, but only managed to scratch one run across on a Jason Delay ground out. Josh Palacios had a chance to tie the game in the third and the ninth inning, but fell short on both occasions. Andrew McCutchen had his first career three-double game, but did not drive in or score a run.
Still, the Pirates managed to score four runs, and they entered 47-17 in games where they plated at least that many. With one of the top pitching prospects on the mound, it would seem like a recipe to complete a series sweep. But with Ortiz still searching in the majors, that failed to come to fruition.
And needless to say, for this rebuild to take the next step in 2024, the Pirates are going to need contributions from Ortiz. He, Quinn Priester and Roansy Contreras have all seemed to regress or plateau with their development this season. That simply can't happen to three of their top young pitchers.
Postgame, Ortiz was asked what he is going to keep working on, and declined to go into any specifics. He did, however, end the thought confidently.
"I'm going to get there."
THE ESSENTIALS
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THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: RF Henry Davis (thumb)
• 15-day injured list: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (elbow), LHP Angel Perdomo (elbow)
• 60-day injured list: SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), RHP Max Kranick (elbow), INF Tucupita Marcano (knee), RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow)
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Bryan Reynolds, LF
3. Andrew McCutchen, DH
4. Connor Joe, 1B
5. Josh Palacios, RF
6. Liover Peguero, 2B
7. Ji Hwan Bae, CF
8. Alika Williams, SS
9. Jason Delay, C
And for Oli Marmol's Cardinals:
1. Tommy Edman, 2B
2. Alec Burleson, LF
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Nolan Arenado, 3B
5. Willson Contreras, DH
6. Andrew Knizner, C
7. Richie Palacios, CF
8. Jordan Walker, RF
9. Masyn Winn, SS
THE SCHEDULE
The Cubs are coming to town to kick off a four-game series starting Thursday. Justin Steele (14-3, 2.80) will take the ball for the Cubs. I'll have you covered.
THE MULTIMEDIA
THE CONTENT
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