Pirates go Jones, Ashcraft, Skenes out of break

The star right-hander racked up seven strikeouts on the afternoon while allowing only one base on balls. The Pirates provided him with 14 early runs of support, so all Skenes had to do was keep the train on the tracks in this one. The only damage against him came on an RBI double by Jackson Chourio and a fielder’s choice by Gary Sanchez in the fourth inning. Skenes got nine whiffs on 82 pitches on the day, posting a CSW of 28 percent. He finishes the first half of the season with an 8-8 record, 3.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a 130/24 K/BB ratio across 108 1/3 innings in his first 20 starts.

Ashcraft was a late addition to the roster on Tuesday, but now he’s not going to pitch after starting today. Griffin has been a great surprise this year in going 10-2 with a 2.77 ERA after signing for just $5.5 million in his return from Japan. Still, this feels like one of those where we’ll be asking in a few years, “how was that guy an All-Star?”

Ashcraft concluded a strong first-half performance with a bit of a dud against Milwaukee’s loaded lineup. He coughed up five hits, including home runs to Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick. The 26-year-old is headed to next week’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia after posting a respectable 3.49 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 128/27 K/BB ratio across 113 1/3 innings across 19 starts.

The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday. Expect Friday’s probable starters — Braxton Ashcraft and Brandon Sproat — to pitch in one of Saturday’s contests.

Per Opta Stats, Jones became the first pitcher in modern history to throw at least six innings, retire every batter, and still not get the win. He left with the game in a scoreless tie before Dennis Santana served up a two-run homer to former Pirate Joey Bart. Pittsburgh went on to lose 3-0. This was Jones’ first time throwing more than five innings since returning from elbow surgery. He was at 77 pitches when pulled, while his season high is 81. It was his final start of the first half. The Pirates visit the Guardians coming out of the All-Star break.

Skenes was hardly dominant in striking out four and giving up eight hits, but very importantly, his stuff rebounded some tonight. He averaged 97.1 mph with his fastball. That 0.8 mph better than his season low from an ugly start against the Phillies last week, and his first time over 97 since May 28. His fastball spin rate was also back up to 2,150 rpm. He exceeded that mark in each of his first 14 starts, but he was below it his last four times out, bottoming out at 1,988 last week. So, that’s encouraging. The Skenes of 2025 probably isn’t walking through that door Sunday against the Brewers, but the bleeding seems to have stopped. He’s 7-8 with a 3.58 ERA.

It’s a colossal bummer for baseball fans hoping to see Misiorowski hurling triple-digit heaters during next week’s Midsummer Classic, but this was always the expected outcome here. Skenes, Misorowski and Meyer are all taking the ball for their respective club’s first-half finales on Sunday, which means there was zero chance they would be able to pitch in the All-Star Game just three days later. Luzardo, Ashcraft and O’Brien are headed to the game for the first time in their respective careers. It’s likely going to be Shohei Ohtani taking the ball to start for the National League based on how things are lining up from a schedule standpoint.

Ashcraft coughed up a tape-measure leadoff homer to James Wood but managed to keep the Nationals off the scoreboard into the middle innings. He finished with seven strikeouts and only issued a pair of walks. He’s posted at least seven punchouts in four consecutive starts since June 17. It was a much-needed rebound effort after getting tagged for three homers by the Phillies in his previous outing. He’ll face the Brewers at home in his final start before the All-Star break.

Jones was pulled at 73 pitches in a tie game, so Don Kelly does not care about our wins column. Jones allowed just three hard-hit balls and touched 100 with his fastball, while he generated 11 whiffs on 31 swings. The lone run scored on an RBI double by Bryce Harper. Everything looks good under the hood for Jones to be a dynamite pitcher down the stretch in fantasy leagues, but it’s hard to trust him on this current pitch count. He’ll draw the Braves in his final start before the All-Star break next week.

Skenes’ command was off tonight, and his fastball velocity was down 0.7 mph from his season average. Still, he probably could have gotten through four allowing one run with just a little help. In the second, he should have had Gabriel Rincones Jr. struck out on what was called ball three, but the Pirates were afraid to challenge the pitch after already burning one. He went on to walk, and then, with the bases loaded, Justin Crawford hit a little chopper to third that Nick Gonzales got no outs on after his throw home hit Alec Bohm. Trea Turner went on to homer in a five-run inning. In the fourth, the Phillies hit Skenes very hard, but Bryce Harper’s two-run double could have been caught if the Pirates didn’t have an infielder in Tyler Callahan playing left. No pitcher in the league has been let down more by his defense this year than Skenes. It’s not wholly responsible for his decline, but it’s a big part of it. He’ll take a 3.63 ERA into his next start against the Braves.