Braxton

Ashcraft

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.

The lone run came on a Bryce Eldridge homer in the sixth. Ashcraft struck out six and walked none in moving to 2-2 with a 2.77 ERA. It’s going to be fascinating to see how he progressed from here, given that he’s never thrown more than 118 innings in a season. The stuff is legit, though, and he’s a fine play at home against the Phillies next week.

Ashcraft punched out six batters on the afternoon while issuing a pair of free passes. He got 10 swings and misses on 82 pitches on the day, registering a strong CSW of 33 percent. The 26-year-old hurler has been a tremendous addition to the Pirates’ rotation this season, posting a 3.02 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and a 45/14 K/BB ratio across his first 41 2/3 innings. It’s criminal that he has just one victory to show for it. He’ll do battle against the Giants his next time out in San Francisco on Saturday.

Ashcraft allowed six hits, walked three and struck out seven. He fell to 1-2 with the loss. The 26-year-old right-hander now has a 3.71 ERA and 3.42 xFIP on the year. In 34 innings this season, he’s struck out 39, walked 12 and allowed three home runs. Ashcraft’s clunky start Tuesday included two of those home runs, but he’s still worth consideration for fantasy managers in standard mixed leagues. He’s lined up to face the Reds at home on Sunday.

Ashcraft is back after being away from the team for the past three days. The 26-year-old will make the start against St. Louis, and is worth streaming consideration based on how he’s pitched in 2026.

Ashcraft was placed on the bereavement list Saturday, and while the 26-year-old was originally scheduled to face St. Louis on Monday, the right-hander will instead get the ball for the middle game of the series a day later. He’ll look to repeat his previous effort where he worked seven innings of two-run baseball against the Rangers.

It’s unclear whether Ashcraft will return to take the ball on Monday against the Cardinals. The 26-year-old righty was outstanding in his previous start, allowing two runs over seven innings against the Rangers earlier this week.

Ashcraft really only made one mistake Wednesday, as he caught too much of the plate on a two-run homer by Josh Jung. Outside of that the 26-year-old was solid; striking out five against two walks while allowing only four hits. Ashcraft has been solid to begin the 2026 campaign, and he’ll look to keep lowering his 2.43 ERA in a scheduled bout with the Cardinals at home on Monday. At the very least, Ashcraft is worth keeping an eye on.