Pirates' Braxton Ashcraft Wins Thrilling Pitcher's Duel
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates offense needed someone to give them a chance late on and right-handed starting pitcher Braxton Ashcraft did just that.
Ashcraft went up against Cincinnati Reds right-handed pitcher Chase Burns in the series finale at PNC Park on May 3 and two battled each other throughout, shutting down their opposing team's offense.
The Pirates pitcher went a bit further, 7.2 innings compared to 7.0 innings, and ended up playing a big role in the eventual 1-0 win and sweep of the Reds.
Ashcraft also got back to what he did best in this start, giving the Pirates faith he'll continue to deliver going forward.
BRAXTON ASHCRAFT THIS AFTERNOON:
— Platinum Key (@PlatinumKey13) May 3, 2026
7.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO
82 pitches, 56 strikes, 10 whiffs
He now has a 3.02 ERA. That's how you respond. WHAT A START. pic.twitter.com/lkGxL6l42e
How Ashcraft Took Down the Reds
Burns took care of the Pirates, allowing just three hits and a walk over seven innings, while posting seven strikeouts.
It was a big juxtaposition for the Pirates, who had scored nine runs in the series opener and then a season-high 17 runs in the previous game, as they just couldn't figure out one of the better pitchers in baseball.
Ashcraft remained unfazed by what his Reds counterpart was doing, as he allowed just four hits and two walks and posting six strikeouts himself over just 82 pitches in 7.2 innings.
"Yeah I try to really hard to not focus on that stuff," Ashcraft said on the pitcher's duel. "I try to focus on the things I do and what I'm doing well ... If you put focus on anything else, especially me, being able to go out there and have the trust in the catcher, whether it's Henry [Davis] or Joey [Bart], and just pitch free, it helps a lot."
Ashcraft relied on his curveball throughout his outing, throwing it 44% of the time, compared to his yearly average of 26%.
He paired this with his fastball, throwing that 34% of the time, which resulted in four strikeouts on his curveball and two strikeouts on the fastball.
Ashcraft got 10 whiffs in the outing and also struck out the side in the fifth inning, with two curveballs and a fastball.
Pitch | Usage | Average Velocity |
|---|---|---|
Curveball | 36/82 (44%) | 84.8 mph |
Four-Seam Fastball | 28/82 (34%) | 97.0 mph |
Sinker | 11/82 (13%) | 96.6 mph |
Slider | 6/82 (7%) | 91.0 mph |
Splitter | 1/82 (1%) | 91.7 mph |
Ashcraft has had great success with his curveball this season, with a .111 batting average allowed (BAA) and relied on it almost just as much as his fastball.
"It's just, it's something I put a lot of focus on and we identify things that were working for you early in the game, you stick with them and that's kind of what we did today." Ashcraft said on his curveball.
Ashcraft kept his pitch count down because he was able to get balls for his defense to make plays on, including 10 groundouts, with the last one a fielder's choice, as third baseman Nick Gonzales got it to catcher Joey Bart quickly for an easy out at home plate with two runners in scoring position.
He benefitted from two double plays from Reds third baseman Sal Stewart and a few line outs, plus a nice snag from second baseman Brandon Lowe to end the top of the sixth inning.
Ashcraft had 19 batted ball events and seven hard hit balls, but prevented the Reds from really building anything on offense, thanks to some solid defense
Why This Start Was So Important For Ashcraft
Ashcraft was brilliant in this outing vs. the Reds, but his previous start was the worst of the season and of his career.
He allowed six earned runs and two home runs over 4.1 innings in an 11-7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park on April 28.
Ashcraft had just come back from the Major League Bereavement/Family Medical Emergency List that day, but it still wasn't an outing he would've wanted whatsoever.
He has had a strong season outside of that start, with a 1.93 ERA in those six games, as he's shown that he not only belongs in the Pirates starting rotation, but that he might just be the second best pitcher, behind Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes of course.
Ashcraft clearly didn't let the last outing get him down and said postgame that he knew what he had to do to get back to his best stuff, which he clearly showed vs. the Reds.
"That's always the goal is to one-up your last outing," Ashcraft said. "When you're going and covering 7 2/3s, it helps a lot. I mean, there's a lot of stuff that plays into that. But at the end of the day, I put together a plan coming out of last outing and executed it well and when into this outing feeling good and was able to capitalize on that."
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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.