The Pirates had their worst stretch of the season earlier this week, losing five straight and getting swept by the Cardinals. In that stretch, Braxton Ashcraft had his worst outing. But on Sunday, he and the Pirates as a whole bounced back in a big way, sweeping the Reds.
In a true pitchers' duel with Cincinnati's Chase Burns, Ashcraft went toe-to-toe with him, keeping the Reds off the board, even with the go-ahead run just 90 feet away in the eighth inning. Ashcraft wound up pitching 7 2/3 innings, allowing no runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts, helping the Pirates defeat the Reds, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.
"Oh, man. He was unbelievable," Don Kelly said after the game. "The stuff, held the velo the whole time. Curveball was extremely good. He threw it for strikes. He got it for swing-and-miss. That's the best game that I've seen him pitch by far. ... Honestly, extremely tough decision there in the eighth to have to go get him."
Kelly opted to take Ashcraft out with two outs in the eighth inning, opting for Gregory Soto against a pair of left-handed hitters in TJ Friedl and JJ Bleday. Ashcraft had much more in the tank, being only at 82 pitches to that point in the game.
"I understood the situation," Ashcraft said. "I had my moment of frustration come on and went back out to pick (Soto) up and watch him do his job. It's one of those things, if I don't give up a double to Friedl earlier in the game, there's probably a different situation, if I don't give up a hit ... the only person to blame there is myself."
Ashcraft was being really hard on himself, but don't let that fool you. He kept the Reds' hitters off balance all game long, though he was constantly in the strike zone. He logged a ridiculous 89% first-strike percentage, while also getting a 38% whiff rate on his curveball, which he threw more than any other pitch.
Just as the Pirates needed a bounce back like this, sweeping the Reds after being swept by the Cardinals, Ashcraft needed a healthy bounce back, too. The Cardinals rocked him pretty hard on April 28, allowing six runs in 4 1/3 innings. Ashcraft getting back to this form quickly is huge for the team, the bullpen and, of course, himself.
"It was awesome," Kelly said. "To go from the outing he had in Texas, and then the one in between, and then to come back out today and pitch the way he did, that's the stuff he has and the competitor he is."
THE ASYLUM
Ashcraft's 'best game' a needed bounce back
The Pirates had their worst stretch of the season earlier this week, losing five straight and getting swept by the Cardinals. In that stretch, Braxton Ashcraft had his worst outing. But on Sunday, he and the Pirates as a whole bounced back in a big way, sweeping the Reds.
In a true pitchers' duel with Cincinnati's Chase Burns, Ashcraft went toe-to-toe with him, keeping the Reds off the board, even with the go-ahead run just 90 feet away in the eighth inning. Ashcraft wound up pitching 7 2/3 innings, allowing no runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts, helping the Pirates defeat the Reds, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon at PNC Park.
"Oh, man. He was unbelievable," Don Kelly said after the game. "The stuff, held the velo the whole time. Curveball was extremely good. He threw it for strikes. He got it for swing-and-miss. That's the best game that I've seen him pitch by far. ... Honestly, extremely tough decision there in the eighth to have to go get him."
Kelly opted to take Ashcraft out with two outs in the eighth inning, opting for Gregory Soto against a pair of left-handed hitters in TJ Friedl and JJ Bleday. Ashcraft had much more in the tank, being only at 82 pitches to that point in the game.
"I understood the situation," Ashcraft said. "I had my moment of frustration come on and went back out to pick (Soto) up and watch him do his job. It's one of those things, if I don't give up a double to Friedl earlier in the game, there's probably a different situation, if I don't give up a hit ... the only person to blame there is myself."
Ashcraft was being really hard on himself, but don't let that fool you. He kept the Reds' hitters off balance all game long, though he was constantly in the strike zone. He logged a ridiculous 89% first-strike percentage, while also getting a 38% whiff rate on his curveball, which he threw more than any other pitch.
Just as the Pirates needed a bounce back like this, sweeping the Reds after being swept by the Cardinals, Ashcraft needed a healthy bounce back, too. The Cardinals rocked him pretty hard on April 28, allowing six runs in 4 1/3 innings. Ashcraft getting back to this form quickly is huge for the team, the bullpen and, of course, himself.
"It was awesome," Kelly said. "To go from the outing he had in Texas, and then the one in between, and then to come back out today and pitch the way he did, that's the stuff he has and the competitor he is."
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