Braxton

Ashcraft

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.

Ashcraft allowed three homers in three innings, but he retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced as the Pirates came all of the way back to take an 8-5 lead by the time he left. Ashcraft is the first Pirates pitcher to give up five runs and win since Zach Duke in 2007. Well, in truth, it happened to Carmen Mlodzinski just last month, but you probably didn’t entirely doubt it, did you? Ashcraft is 8-3 with a 3.33 ERA, and he’ll be taking on the Nationals next.

Ashcraft recorded his second double-digit strikeout effort of the season and fell just shy of matching his previous career-high mark. He got off to a rocky start when he surrendered an RBI single to Julio Rodríguez in the opening frame, but he managed to settle down afterwards and keep Seattle off the scoreboard the rest of the way. He generated 15 swinging strikes and topped out at 99.4 mph with his fastball during an extremely impressive outing. He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in three consecutive starts since a six-run meltdown in Atlanta back on June 6. He’ll square off against the Phillies in a road tilt on Monday to kick off a two-start week.

All four hits he allowed tonight were singles. Ashcraft notched his first win in three starts this month to move to 6-3 with a 3.18 ERA on the season. The Pirates are probably going to have to do something about his workload in the second half, but he should remain plenty valuable in the meantime. He’s lined up to face the Mariners next Wednesday.

He left with the score knotted at two, but Pittsburgh’s bullpen allowed six earned runs in the final three innings to make this a laugher. Miami was sitting on his fastballs, getting five of their seven hard-hit balls against Ashcraft’s sinker and 4-seamer. Nothing under the hood is all that concerning about this outing and Ashcraft has earned the benefit of the doubt with his strong start to the year, as his ERA sits at 3.30 in 14 starts. Still, facing the Sacramento A’s on the road is not exactly an easy matchup next week.

Ashcraft did not have his best stuff in this one. The Braves were on him from the get go with a pair of first inning runs and then finally broke it open in the fifth, Ashcraft’s final frame. He wasn’t missing many bats while allowing a bunch of hard hit contact and when that lineup turned over for the third time, he gave up hits to Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson which set the table for a Dom Smith home run. The game was tied before that inning and the Braves’ 6-3 lead after that rally held firm. Hopefully Ashcraft can flush this poor result and get his breakout season back on track next week against the Marlins.

Ashcraft was sensational, allowing five hits and zero walks while lowering his ERA to 2.77 on the year. He only needed 80 pitches for the quality start, 60 of which were strikes, and picked up 24 whiffs on the afternoon. He entered Sunday’s matchup against Minnesota with a strong combination of strike-throwing, bat-missing, and the ability to generate ground balls. Things will get tougher in next week’s road trip to Atlanta, but Ashcraft remains a must-start fantasy option from here on out.

Ashcraft was staked to a five-run lead by the second inning and managed to limit Chicago’s formidable lineup to just one run into the late innings. He got some help from reliever Brandan Bidois, who came on to strand a pair of inherited runners in the seventh following his departure. He finished with five strikeouts and only issued one walk. The 26-year-old righty has allowed two earned runs or fewer in nine of his 11 starts this season. He’ll take the ball on the road against the Astros his next time out on Tuesday.

An Iván Herrera homer was the only damage. Ashcraft averaged 97.4 mph with his fastball today and he really did it throughout; he averaged exactly 97.4 mph in the first and 97.4 mph in the seventh. The pitch had a 41 percent CSW, and it was never hard hit the five times it was put in play. It’s going to be fascinating to see how Pirates handle Ashcraft in the second half of the year, given that his career high in innings is 118, but he’s crushing it right now. He has a 2.81 ERA and a 65/16 K/BB in 62 1/3 innings through 10 starts.

Ashcraft’s velocity was up, averaging 97.4 mph today, but he just wasn’t finding missed bats against a tough Phillies lineup. He managed swinging strikes on just 10 of 59 swings by Philadelphia, and they pounded his fastball for seven of his 11 hard-hit balls allowed. One of his runs scored came from the bullpen, as Mason Montgomery inherited a runner and immediately allowed Kyle Schwarber to pound a fastball into the seats. All and all, not a terribly disappointing effort against a hot offense. Ashcraft probably still deserves set-it-and-forget-it status against the Cardinals next week.