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Ortiz allowed three earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out six across three innings in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Tigers.
The stat line isn't particularly positive, but Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette provided more context for the outing by noting that Ortiz was struggling with his fastball velocity. Even without that, he settled in for a solid showing after allowing four baserunners and two earned runs in the first inning. Ortiz still has inconsistent command -- he has five walks across eight innings this spring -- but he has racked up 11 strikeouts in three Grapefruit League appearances. He's competing for the fifth rotation spot and has arguably made the best case for himself among the likes of Quinn Priester, Bailey Falter and Roansy Contreras.
