Braxton

Ashcraft

Ashcraft cruised through the first four innings, while allowing just three singles and a walk, but sandwiched a hit by pitch and walk around a double to load the bases in the top of the fifth. Ashcraft struck out James Wood, but a grounder from Luis Garcia Jr. knocked in all three runs when Konnor Griffin tried to take it to the bag himself, was a step late, and then spiked the throw into right field. Ashcraft, not to be outdone, fired a pickoff throw into center field to allow a fourth run. Jorbit Vivas singled in the sixth, chasing Ashcraft, and Pittsburgh’s bullpen allowed the inherited run to come in. Tough one for Ashcraft, as he allowed just three hard-hit balls. He’ll look to bounce back against the Rangers next week.

Ashcraft generated 16 whiffs on 39 swings, finishing with a 35-percent CSW. Wins are probably going to be an issue for Ashcraft, especially since his workload is going to be monitored, but there’s a lot to like about the way he’s throwing. He’ll be a nice option next week in a home start against the Nationals.

Ashcraft scattered just four hits on the afternoon and didn’t allow a base on balls. The only blemish on the 26-year-old hurler’s day came on an RBI double by Pete Alonso in the fourth inning. Ashcraft generated nine swings and misses on 87 pitches on the day, registering a CSW of 29 percent. He’ll carry a strong 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and an 11/4 K/BB ratio (12 innings) into Saturday’s matchup against the Cubs in Chicago. At this point, he probably deserves consideration in all mixed leagues.

It’s Ashcraft’s first career quality start, as the Pirates declined to let him go deep in his eight starts after moving from the pen to the rotation in the second half of last year. They won’t be so restrictive this season, at least not in the first half. He might not be allowed to make 30+ starts, but for now, he offers some value in deeper mixed leagues. He’ll make his next start at home against the Orioles.

Ashcraft’s slider and curveball were phenomenal, and he maintained his sinker velocity into the middle innings, carving up a fully loaded Detroit lineup in one of the more impressive outings of the spring. The 26-year-old has posted a stellar 2.03 ERA and 16/1 K/BB ratio across 13 1/3 innings of work in Grapefruit League action. He appears locked into Pittsburgh’s season-opening rotation and is a savvy late-round sleeper candidate in all fantasy drafts this spring.

Ashcraft retired nine of 10 batters to start the game before giving up back-to-back doubles in the fourth and getting pulled. That went on to be a nine-run inning for the Phillies. Ashcraft, though, was quite good, even though his sinker velocity was down about two mph from last year. He’s going to have a spot in Pittsburgh’s rotation unless disaster strikes over the rest of the month.

The right-hander had just a 13 percent whiff rate on the day but threw 61 percent strikes and got ahead often. He also allowed three hard-hit baseballs in just three innings and saw his sinker velocity fall from 96.3 mph in the first inning to 92.5 mph by the third inning. It’s likely not a big deal this early in camp, but it’s something to keep an eye on, as is his overall lack of whiffs, because he’s going to need to produce strikeouts if he’s going to have fantasy value this season.

Kyle Schwarber homered off him in the first, but none of the remaining three hits Ashcraft allowed did any damage. After finishing with a 2.78 ERA in eight starts and 18 relief appearances last season, Ashcraft is in strong position to claim a spot in the Pirates rotation this spring. He gets enough strikeouts and grounders to potentially be of some use in mixed leagues.

Ashcraft gave up a season-high eight hits, but he struck out five and managed to limit the damage. He finishes up 4-4 with a 2.71 ERA in eight starts and 18 relief appearances. He should wind up playing a bigger role next year, even if he might be crowded out of the Pirates rotation initially.

Ashcraft allowed two runs in the third — one of them on a solo homer by Michael Busch — and another in the fourth before exiting. The 25-year-old looked solid in relief, but he’s been shaky — at best — as a starter for the majority of 2025. He shouldn’t be in a fantasy lineup Wednesday when he faces the Reds.