PIRATES

After getting plenty of sleep and going through his entire pre-game routine ahead of a rare 11 a.m. first pitch in the nation's capital, Braxton Ashcraft's morning on the mound didn't get out to the best start: 

That's Washington's James Wood sending the first pitch he saw from Ashcraft out to right for a 428-foot blast. It was Wood's seventh leadoff homer of the season and his 23rd overall, and it very well could have deflated a young pitcher. 

Ashcraft didn't let things spiral, though. In fact, he locked back in to strike out the next five batters he faced, including three straight to end the first inning, en route to completing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in the Pirates' 7-1 win over the Nationals here today at Nationals Park: 

"That happens," Ashcraft said afterwards. "You know he’s going to be aggressive first pitch of the game. I don’t think I’ve ever thrown anything but a fastball first pitch of the game. You get clipped sometimes. That’s part of the game. Being able to bear down there. Henry (Davis) did a real good job of keeping me in line with a good directive. Being able to buckle down and shut the game down after that, it was a big deal." 

The Wood home run was the only legitimate blemish on Ashcraft's line, which included six hits allowed, two walks and seven strikeouts. Ashcraft threw 62 of 94 pitches for strikes and generated 15 whiffs, including six with a slider that finished off three of his strikeouts. He generated plenty of swing and miss with his fastball, curveball and sinker, too, using all of his weapons to keep hitters off balance. 

"He reset, he attacked the zone, and he showed it in Philly, too, giving up multiple homers and multiple runs," Don Kelly said. "Today, to be able to settle down after that first one, especially first at-bat of the game after we had scored to tie it up 1-1 and for him to settle in and to be able to pitch into the sixth was big time."

So much was said entering the season about what the Pirates' starting rotation was going to be capable of this year. They collectively haven't lived up to the expectations, though. Paul Skenes has experienced a prolonged rough stretch for the first time in the big leagues, Mitch Keller hasn't been the reliable veteran he has been in the past, Jared Jones isn't as reliable as he was during his rookie year in 2024 and Bubba Chandler is making some progress after a tough start to the season. 

The only constant within this rotation is and has been Ashcraft, who has continued to produce over 18 starts. His 3.24 ERA is the 11th-best among National League pitchers and his 1.10 WHIP ranks No. 10. He's also thrown the third-most innings (108 1/3) of any NL pitcher, striking out the third-most batters (122) and walking 25.