Luis Ortiz has inefficient start, Diamondbacks rally from 3-run deficit to beat Pirates

Luis Ortiz was inefficient but effective in limiting damage by the Arizona Diamondbacks through the first five innings, especially in striking out slugger Joc Pederson twice.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates sent the right-hander out for the sixth inning, Pederson made him pay for leaving a two-strike fastball over the middle of the plate by smacking a leadoff home run. Then Ortiz put the game-tying run on base by walking Christian Walker.

It was the start of a three-run rally that sparked the Diamondbacks to a 4-3 comeback win over the Pirates on Friday night at Chase Field in Phoenix. Arizona (54-50) remained ahead of the Pirates (52-51) in wild-card standings, stretching its lead to one game.

Ortiz, who required 74 pitches through four innings, allowed three runs on five hits and a season-high three walks with four strikeouts over five-plus innings.

“He didn’t have his best command,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said on the SportsNet Pittsburgh postgame show. “He walked three guys and had to battle out of it. He looked like he just couldn’t put guys away.”

Arizona’s Zac Gallen (8-5) gave up three runs in the first two innings but recovered to get the win after notching a quality start by striking out six while giving up five hits and three walks in six innings.

Despite playing without All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who was placed on the bereavement list, the Pirates got off to a fast start against Gallen. Andrew McCutchen drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on a Nick Gonzales single before Rowdy Tellez was hit on the finger by a pitch. Joshua Palacios followed with a bases-loaded single to right for a 2-0 lead.

“With Bryan not here for a couple games, we have to have a couple guys step up,” Shelton said, “and Josh did early.”

The Pirates added to their advantage in the second, when Joey Bart hit a fly ball to left that dropped in front of a diving Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and then scored on McCutchen’s double to the right-center gap to make it 3-0. With the extra-base knock, McCutchen matched Hall of Famer Fred Clarke for the 10th-most hits in Pirates history (1,638).

Ortiz got out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, getting Geraldo Perdomo to fly out to center after Gurriel singled to right and Gabriel Moreno and Alek Thomas drew walk.

The Pirates suffered another blow when Tellez left the game with back spasms in the third inning, forcing Connor Joe to come off the bench to play first base and taking away a pinch hitter for later.

Corbin Carroll became the first left-handed hitter in 24 at-bats to get a hit off Ortiz in the third, belting a bouncer down the right field line and racing around the bases for a leadoff triple. Carroll scored on Ketel Marte’s sacrifice fly to left to cut the Diamondbacks’ deficit to two runs.

Ortiz was at 84 pitches after a clean fifth inning, so Shelton said he “was on a shorter leash” for the sixth. Ortiz got ahead in the count against Pederson before leaving an 0-2 fastball over the middle of the plate, which Pederson sent 453 feet to right-center for his 15th home run to lead off the sixth by cutting it to 3-2.

“Definitely I missed the spot there,” Ortiz said through translator Stephen Morales. “I left it over the plate and he got the best out of it.”

After Walker drew a full-count walk, the Pirates replaced Ortiz with Carmen Mlodzinski (2-4). The Diamondbacks responded with back-to-back singles from Gurriel and Moreno, whose liner to right drove in Walker to tie it. The Pirates caught Moreno leading off first to turn a 5-3 double play, but Gurriel scored from third on a wild pitch by Mlodzinski to take a 4-3 lead.

The Pirates had multiple chances to tie the game but failed to score as they went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base.

After walks by Bart and Taylor put runners on first and second in the seventh, McCutchen and Oneil Cruz went down swinging and Gonzales grounded into a forceout. In the eighth, Palacios was hit by a pitch and Jack Suwinski reached on a fielder’s choice but Bart struck out. Cruz singled in the ninth to put the game-tying run at first but Paul Sewald struck out Gonzlaes to end the game and earn his 16th save.

“We have to finish,” Shelton said. “We saw a team that finished against us. We didn’t finish today.”