I don't like it. He was absolutely all over them. I am not too convinced that moderating pitch counts down to really low numbers is something that gives more durability, but it's hard to really follow all of the trends on that front. From the perspective of simply trying to save more innings for later in the summer, I can stomach the shorter outings.
I have an inkling that part of it might be an opportunity to see if Ortiz can give you three innings here out of the pen, perhaps with an eye to him filling Gonzales' spot. But based on what they are saying, this is a planned short outing, so that may have nothing to do with it.