Pirates switch shortstops, adding Chris Owings, anticipate RHP Luis Ortiz starting Tuesday

Searching for stability at shortstop and a starting pitcher, the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday turned to Triple-A Indianapolis for a pair of roster moves made in hopes of stopping their seven-game losing streak.

The Pirates selected the contract of 31-year-old Chris Owings and immediately inserted him into the starting lineup at shortstop against the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park. They also added 24-year-old right-hander Luis Ortiz to the taxi squad, in anticipation that he will take Vince Velasquez’s turn in the rotation and start Tuesday’s game.

The Pirates optioned infielder Mark Mathias to Indianapolis and will have to make a corresponding roster move Tuesday to add Ortiz to the 26-man active roster.

General manager Ben Cherington said the loss of Oneil Cruz for four months to a fractured left ankle leaves “big shoes to fill.”

Rodolfo Castro committed six errors at shortstop, including two over the weekend, and Owings has played 253 games there over 10 major-league seasons.

“The ability to play shortstop,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, “was something that was important to us.”

A 2009 first-round pick by Arizona, Owings has slashed .239/.287/.366 in 710 games over 10 seasons with the Diamondbacks, Kansas City, Boston, Colorado and Baltimore. The Pirates signed Owings on Feb. 2 as a nonroster invitee to spring training, but he didn’t make the Opening Day roster. A groin strain forced him to the injured list from April 19 until May 2.

“I think for the big picture, it was like, ‘Man, I’m feeling good, why does this stuff happen?’” Owings said. “But, luckily, it wasn’t anything major.”

In 13 games at Triple-A Indianapolis, Owings batted .273 with five doubles, two home runs and four RBIs and an .883 OPS. He went 6 for 11 in three games against Toledo over the weekend, including 4 for 5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs Sunday.

“We saw an opportunity to add a little bit of defensive stability in the middle infield,” Cherington said. “Chris has been doing this for a long time. He’s a really reliable defender who got through a little injury that we had to get past in Indy, but he’s ready to play. We thought the timing was right to make that switch.”

The Pirates contemplated using their bullpen Tuesday but opted instead to bring up Ortiz, who is pitching on short rest after being on a pitch count while tossing three innings Friday against Toledo.

The 6-foot-2, 240-pound Ortiz dazzled in his major league debut last September, touching triple digits six times and averaging 99 mph on 50-plus fastballs. Ortiz made four starts for the Pirates last fall, going 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA while striking out 17 with 10 walks in 16 innings. He was 2-1 with a 2.23 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 29 strikeouts against 11 walks in 32 1/3 innings over seven starts at Indianapolis, where he held opponents to a .174 batting average.

“We expect him to compete,” Cherington said. “He’s got ability, really good pitches, competitive. He’s used his time at Indy to his benefit. He’s in a good spot physically. His delivery is in a better spot than it was in spring training, he’s throwing strikes. We expect him to compete and attack the zone. If he does that, he’ll be effective.”

Mathias, acquired from the Texas Rangers in a trade in March, batted .275 (11 for 40) with two doubles and four RBIs in 15 games for the Pirates this season while playing second base, right field and designated hitter. Cherington said Mathias is still recovering from a right (throwing) shoulder injury and can get more playing time at Indianapolis.

“I think he would say he’s not all the way back in terms of his throwing,” Cherington said. “He’s a good baseball player, trust him as a baseball player. He can hit and has hit. He had good at bats here, from our perspective. We want to try to help him get in the best spot he can be in defensively. This is an opportunity to work on that a bit.”