Ortiz did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 6-2 win over the White Sox, allowing one run on four hits and one walk with five strikeouts over 5.2 innings.

EDGE Analysis

Ortiz tossed five scoreless innings before allowing an RBI single in the sixth. He was pulled just shy of a quality start at 94 pitches and has now yielded a total of two earned runs in his three opportunities to start this season. While it is unclear if the 25-year-old will remain in the rotation after the All-Star break, he has likely earned additional starting opportunities by posting a 2.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 57:19 K:BB across 66.2 innings this season.

Ortiz did not factor into the decision in Sunday's loss to the Mets. He threw six shutout innings, giving up four hits and striking out five.

EDGE Analysis

Ortiz is making a strong case to keep a spot in the Pirates rotation, especially with Bailey Falter recently hitting the IL with arm discomfort. Ortiz was given his second start of the season Sunday, and for the second time he hurled six impressive frames as the opener. The 25-year-old is pitching to a 2.95 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 61 innings in his third big league season.

Ortiz will start Sunday's game against the Mets, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ortiz has been working in a multi-inning role since the start of June and made a spot start June 26 against Cincinnati before returning the the bullpen. The 25-year-old hasn't pitched since Tuesday and completed six innings in his start against the Reds, so he should be able to handle a typical starters' workload Sunday. Through 55.0 innings, Ortiz owns a 3.27 ERA and a 47:18 K:BB.

Ortiz struck out four and allowed one run on three hits and no walks over two innings out of the bullpen in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

Ortiz had covered six innings while striking out seven batters -- both season highs -- while serving as a starter in his previous appearance June 26 in Cincinnati, but the Pirates seem to have moved him back to the bullpen following Martin Perez's return from the injured list. The Pirates have since placed another starter in Jared Jones (lat) on the IL, but Quinn Priester (lat) could be on track to return from the IL to fill Jones' open rotation spot, which next comes up Sunday versus the Mets. Ortiz would be a candidate to start Sunday if the Pirates insead elect to have Priester make another rehab start in the minors before coming off the IL.

Ortiz (4-2) picked up the win in Wednesday's 6-1 victory over the Reds, allowing one run on four hits over six innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

EDGE Analysis

The seven Ks tied the right-hander's career high, set back in Sept. 2022 in his third career MLB start. Ortiz was making his first start of 2024 after spending the first part of the season in a long relief role, and he generated an impressive 19 swinging strikes among his season-high 85 pitches. Martin Perez (groin) is expected to come off the IL this weekend, but Ortiz made a solid case to return to the rotation later in the campaign should a spot open up. Through 53 innings this year, he sports a 3.23 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 43:18 K:BB.

Ortiz didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 10-3 loss to the Rays, coughing up six runs on 10 hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out three.

EDGE Analysis

While Carmen Mlodzinski wound up taking the loss as the opener, Ortiz made things a whole lot worse for the Pirates after he entered the game in the second inning, with a pair of homers by Josh Lowe accounting for most of the damage off the right-hander. Ortiz saw his ERA jump by nearly a full run after this performance, and he'll take a 3.45 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 36:18 K:BB through 47 innings into his next outing. If the Bucs keep him in his current bulk relief role and on schedule, he'll take the mound on the road next week in Cincinnati.

Ortiz is in line to serve as a bulk reliever in Friday's game versus the Rays, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Carmen Mlodzinski will open for the Pirates before handing things off to Ortiz. Each of Ortiz's last two appearances have come in bulk relief and he's fared well, yielding just one run with a 6:1 K:BB over 9.1 innings of work.

Ortiz (3-2) picked up the win Friday against the Rockies, yielding one run on seven hits and no walks over five innings. He struck out three.

EDGE Analysis

After Carmen Mlodzinski tossed a scoreless opening frame, Ortiz entered in the second for a scheduled bullpen day. The Pittsburgh righty held his own at Coors Field in his longest outing of the season, firing 69 pitches en route to his first win since May 5, which also came against Colorado. Ortiz has been a dependable option in the Pirates bullpen, throwing 43 innings with a 2.51 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 33:17 K:BB.

Ortiz allowed three hits and one walk while striking out three across 4.1 scoreless innings Saturday against the Twins.

EDGE Analysis

Ortiz entered the game in the second inning in a designed bullpen game for the Pirates. He threw 58 pitches and turned in his longest outing of the season. Though Ortiz wasn't able to get the run support to earn a win, he has now turned in 10 scoreless innings with a 9:1 K:BB across his last three appearances out of the bullpen.

Ortiz gave up a hit over three scoreless innings of relief Saturday to record his first career save in an 8-1 win over the Blue Jays. He struck out three without walking a batter.

EDGE Analysis

With the Pirates coming off a 14-inning game Friday and holding a five-run lead when he took the mound, Ortiz gave the rest of the bullpen a much-needed breather by wrapping things up on his own. The right-hander has been effective in long relief -- he's pitched two or more innings in five of his last six appearances, posting a 2.57 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB over 14 innings during that stretch. While his role doesn't afford him much high-leverage work, he does have two wins and a hold this season in addition to Saturday's unconventional save, and Ortiz has value in deep NL-only formats due to his bulk Ks and respectable ratios.