Starter or reliever? What lies ahead for Ashcraft's future
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates had a sudden and disappointing ending Saturday night.
Down by a run, Oneil Cruz drew a leadoff walk in the ninth inning off Reds closer Emilio Pagán, and Nick Gonzales hit a 106.2-mph line drive with one out. However, shortstop Elly De La Cruz snared the scorcher and threw to first base to double up Cruz as the Reds held on for a 2-1 victory at PNC Park.
The Pirates (51-67) lost for just the sixth time in their last 18 games.
However, the Pirates liked how the game began. Rookie Braxton Ashcraft pitched a career-high 3 1/3 innings in his second spot start.
Ashcraft allowed one run and three hits while striking out five and walking one. His first start was on June 23 against the Brewers in Milwaukee.
“It felt good to get back out there in the first inning and give our team a chance to win,” Ashcraft said. “That’s all you can do in that situation. That’s what our job is. I’ve said it time and time again, our job is to go out and get outs whenever we’re asked to pitch and get outs efficiently.”
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The Pirates opened the scoring in the third inning when Jared Triolo led off with a double and scored on Tommy Pham’s sacrifice fly. However, the Bucs were unable to scratch another run across.
The Reds tied the game at 1-1 in the fourth when Ashcraft was lifted with a runner on first and one out, and Noelvi Marte greeted Carmen Mlodzinski with a sacrifice fly. Ashcraft threw just 56 pitches (37 strikes).
TJ Friedl drew a four-pitch walk from Ashcraft to start the game, but he set the Reds' next three hitters down in order.
“He did a nice job,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “First inning: Looked like he was spraying it a little bit in the beginning. The fastball command wasn't there. But he slowed it down, dialed it back in. The slider was really effective for him.”
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The 25-year-old Ashcraft has also made 16 relief appearances since his MLB debut on May 26, and his ERA is 3.19 in 36 2/3 innings. During six Minor League seasons, which were hampered by injuries, Ashcraft started 69 times and appeared as a reliever just twice.
Ashcraft is happy to be in the Major Leagues, taking a long road to Pittsburgh after being drafted in the second round in 2018 from Robinson High School in Waco, Texas. So, Ashcraft is appreciative of whatever role Kelly gives him.
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Yet deep down, Ashcraft hopes his future in the big leagues is as a starter, though he will likely be handled conservatively for the remainder of this season. Ashcraft has pitched 85 innings between the Majors and Minors after logging 73 innings last year.
“You know, as pitchers and especially as young pitchers in our career, I think the objective should always be to be a starter, and for me, having done that my entire career, that’s always been the goal,” Ashcraft said. “But it just boils down to, can you go out and get outs efficiently, can you control the controllables, can you control the running game well, can you minimize damage, can you do all those things and do them well.
“Whenever opportunities present themselves, you take advantage of them, and that’s been my goal through this entire time I’ve been in the big leagues.”