PITTSBURGH -- With the Pirates fresh off one of the most memorable days in PNC Park’s history on Friday, Vince Velasquez appeared on track to keep the good vibes rolling in his home debut on Saturday night. He filled up the strike zone in a scoreless first inning, a beginning that boded well after the right-hander couldn’t consistently command his stuff in his debut. When Carlos Santana plated a run in the bottom half, the Bucs were on their way to their first five-game winning streak of manager Derek Shelton’s tenure, an achievement that would result in bench coach Don Kelly shaving his head.

Two innings and five runs later, Velasquez’s evening was over and Pittsburgh was on its way to what would become a six-run loss. Kelly’s hair, for now, will remain untouched.

“The last few starts have been a little mediocre,” Velasquez said following the Pirates’ 11-5 loss to the White Sox at PNC Park. “I did a lot of work this offseason, and it started off on a good note. This is something where I can’t lose it; I can’t let it get out of whack. So let’s bite the bullet here and build off of this.”

Velasquez’s evening started strong as he threw 11 out of 13 pitches for strikes (84.6%) en route to a scoreless first. The remainder of his outing, however, he threw 33 out of 62 pitches for strikes (53.2%). In total, Velasquez only threw strikes for 44 of his 75 pitches (58.7%). During the third inning, he threw eight consecutive balls, as well as a wild pitch that resulted in a run.

Some of Velasquez’s command issues stemmed from when he turned his left ankle after landing incorrectly on the mound during the third inning. After the right-hander’s seventh straight ball during the aforementioned eight-pitch streak, Shelton and head athletic trainer Rafael Freitas visited Velasquez to ensure he was healthy enough to continue. Velasquez remained in the game, but the ankle ailment played into his subpar command. Shelton noted postgame that he did not remove Velasquez with two outs in the third due to injury.

“It just seemed like everything was out of whack,” Velasquez said. “I was playing the guessing game with myself whether I should land passively or aggressively. That changed up my slot a little bit with all of my pitches, so I was missing arm side. I was pulling everything. This is not something that I’m proud of. I’m trying to go out there and compete as much as I possibly can. I gave what I can, and unfortunately, it kind of spiraled.”

The ankle turn played a part in Velasquez’s evening being cut short, but he said postgame that his X-rays came back negative. The right-hander believes he should be on track to make his next start, one that would come against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

While the ankle ailment affected Velasquez on Saturday night, he had difficulty with his command in his season debut against the Reds as well. Velasquez walked only one batter across his 4 2/3 innings in Cincinnati on April 2, but he allowed two home runs on two mistake pitches -- one coming on a middle-middle fastball, the other on a hanging knuckle curveball. Additionally, Velasquez only threw 53 of his 86 pitches for strikes (61.6%). This season, Velasquez has a strike rate of 60.2 percent. The league average rate during the pitch-tracking era (since 2008), by contrast, is 63.5 percent.

Despite two mediocre starts, in Velasquez’s words, a change to his role is nowhere near imminent, not after the Pirates signed him to a one-year, $3.15 million contract this offseason. If Velasquez continues to scuffle, however, Pittsburgh has an enticing young flamethrower in the wings, one who’s hungry to taste the Majors once again.

Luis Ortiz, the Pirates’ No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline, has shoved for Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the season. Through two starts, Ortiz has allowed one run across 8 1/3 innings (1.08 ERA) with 11 strikeouts to four walks. Against Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, Ortiz punched out seven batters over 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball. The 24-year-old is still developing, yes, but should he continue shoving and Velasquez continue struggling, the Pirates brass may have to make a decision sooner than anticipated.