Last year, Paul Skenes gave the Pittsburgh Pirates’ rotation a massive boost after debuting in May, immediately emerging as one of the best pitchers in baseball.
This year, another rookie is having a similar impact on the Pirates’ pitching staff.
While Skenes is indisputably Pittsburgh’s ace, he’s fallen off a bit this month with a 4.80 ERA in August. Fortunately, Braxton Ashcraft has helped pick up the slack.
Ashcraft has only made three starts for the Pirates this year (two in August), but they’ve all been excellent. In 11 1/3 innings as a starter, he’s yielded just two runs on seven hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts — good for a 1.59 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP.
By comparison, Skenes’ first three starts produced a 2.25 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 16 innings.
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Ashcraft’s 1.59 ERA in his first three career starts is the lowest by a Pittsburgh rookie since Luis Ortiz notched a 1.17 ERA over his first three starts in 2022.
The 25-year-old righty primarily pitched out of the bullpen after debuting on May 26, but he’s made two consecutive starts since moving to the rotation in early August. He’s provided exactly the type of impact the Pirates are looking for at this stage of the season, especially after trading Bailey Falter at the MLB Trade Deadline and moving Andrew Heaney to the bullpen.
While Ashcraft has yet to throw more than five innings in a start, his command has been excellent thus far. He’s allowed just one home run and 13 walks in 41 2/3 innings, contributing to his 3.02 ERA and 2.66 FIP.
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His next start hasn’t been announced yet, but he’s expected to start Wednesday’s series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, who have been one of the best teams in baseball this year. That would be a big test for him, so another strong performance could help solidify his rotation spot.
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