Braxton Ashcraft Giving Pirates Exactly What They Need
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates may already have their starting pitcher for the future in right-hander Braxton Ashcraft.
Ashcraft is coming off another stellar performance against the St. Louis Cardinals, throwing seven innings and giving up four hits, two walks and just one earned run, while tying his career-high with nine strikeouts in the 6-2 win in the series finale at Busch Stadium on May 21.
It was another fantastic outing for Ashcraft, who has had a sensational May and is proving the Pirates that they can trust him every time he takes the mound.
Ashcraft is also, crucially, showing everyone that he doesn't just have the stuff to serve as a great pitcher, but also that he can pitch longer into games than people previously anticipated
Ashcraft Going Deep Into Games
This start for Ashcraft marked his fourth of May, all of which were 6.2 innings or longer and three of which were at least seven innings
Ashcraft had only pitched seven innings deep in one start prior to this month, which came against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on April 22, which he also dominated in, with just two earned runs allowed.
There were question marks on Ashcraft and if he could mantain a large workload this season, particularly with a lenghty injury history.
It includes a latarjet procedure on his right shoulder in 2019, a a torn meniscus after knee problems in 2020, Tommy John surgery after 10 starts at High-A Greensboro in 2021, which then kept him out of the 2022 season entirely.
The Pirates had Ashcraft come out of the bullpen when he first made his MLB debut last May, which allowed him to ease into facing major league hitting and then earn starts towards the end of 2025.
Ashcraft has shattered all expectations about whether he can handle the workload or not, with his 62.1 innings pitched eighth-most in MLB and fourth-most in the National League.
His five outings of 6.2 innings or more leads all MLB pitchers and he is one of six pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA and 60+ innings thrown.
Ashcraft sees his longer outings as something he should be doing and that he credits the Pirates catchers with helping him be able to do that.
“Yeah, in short, that’s our job as starting pitchers, right, is to take pressure off of the bullpen to give our team a very good chance, a strong chance to win," Ashcraft said to SportsNet Pittsburgh. "Stack quality starts, stack quality outings and I think that us as a staff, in general, have done a really good job of that in general and it’s something that we talk amongst ourselves and the importance of doing that and it’s something that we hold a lot of pride in.”
The Pirates bullpen will always take some rest when they can get it and Ashcraft has played a big role in making sure that they're not overworked and ready to go when called upon.
If the other Pirates starting pitchers can emulate that more, then the pitching staff will continously have good outings and play a big role in finally making the postseason.
How Ashcraft Dominated the Cardinals
Ashcraft really didn't let the Cardinals build much momentum at all throughout the game and kept them from making a serious attempt to win it.
The Cardinals had more success early on, including designated hitter Iván Herrera hitting a solo home run off of Ashcraft in the third inning, plus a walk and a single in the second inning and a double, also in the third inning, but Ashcraft made sure to limit the damage.
He allowed just one hit and a walk over his final four innings and allowed the Pirates to add on some runs late and really take control in the eventual series-clinching win on the road.
Braxton Ashcraft Pitch Mix vs. Cardinals
Pitch | Usage | Average Velocity |
|---|---|---|
Slider | 33/98 (34%) | 92.4 mph |
4-Seam Fastball | 29/98 (30%) | 97.4 mph |
Curveball | 22/98 (22%) | 85.4 mph |
Sinker | 11/98 (11%) | 96.8 mph |
Splitter | 3/98 (3%) | 92.2 mph |
Ashcraft mostly relied on his slider, something he hasn't done as much in 2026, with him usually throwing the curveball instead.
He had his best success with his four-seam fastball, allowing no hits or hard hits on it and getting four of his nine strikeouts on it, while also maintaining the same velocity on it throughout.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.