Braxton Ashcraft proved he’s becoming a problem Pirates' opponents can’t ignore

After fixing their offense, much of the attention the Pittsburgh Pirates received was on their quest to add a veteran arm to their rotation. There was a thought that they might go high-end in order to guarantee Paul Skenes a running mate at the top, though ultimately their chase for Framber Valdez was for naught.

Now, a little over a month into the season, we're finding out that Skenes already had a running mate in the form of Braxton Ashcraft.

As the Pirates looked to close out the sweep of the rival Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, Ashcraft took the hill against Reds youngster Chase Burns in what could have been the first of many pitching duels between these two for years to come.

Ashcraft won the battle, going 7 2/3 shutout innings, yet throwing just 82 pitches as he struck six while walking two and allowing four hits. His stellar performance set Pittsburgh up to win 1-0 after blowing Cincinnati out in the previous two games.

After the game, Don Kelly said, "That's the best game that I've seen him pitch, by far." The stat line says that is true, but it doesn't change the fact that the 2018 second-round pick has been dealing all season long.

Braxton Ashcraft is cementing himself as the Pirates' No. 2 behind Paul Skenes

Ashcraft got off to a hot start to begin the year, telegraphing that a breakout was coming. Still, we needed to see it over a larger sample to truly believe he's for real. The right-hander had ripped off five straight solid outings to begin the year, but then got punched in the mouth on April 28 against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Against the Cardinals, Ascraft lasted just 4 1/3 innings, marking the first and so far only time he's failed to reach the five-inning plateau in 2026. While he struck out seven, his command was not at its best, leading him to walk three and give up two homers en route to surrendering six earned runs overall.

Getting punched in the mouth like that set the scene for a make-or-break moment for Ashcraft. He could either get up off the mat against a tough division opponent, or he could show that St. Louis shook his confidence.

He answered the bell and then some, showing excellent stuff led by his devastating curveball, which now ranks fourth in the league in FanGraphs Stuff+ with a 126 mark.

Through seven starts, the 26-year-old has a 3.02 ERA, 3.00 FIP, and a 3.36 xFIP, showing that his production matches what the peripherals indicate. The recipe for him has been simple: strike out a lot of batters with a 27.3% rate, limit the walks by only giving up free passes at an 8.5% clip, and keep the ball on the ground with a 50% rate.

Ashcraft finally got the chance to enjoy a healthy offseason. By actually being able to focus on preparing for the season over having to rehab, he's hit the ground running. By showing the grit to rebound after a bad start, he's showing he has the mentality to be a top-level starter. Bubba Chandler hasn't gotten going yet, but it hasn't mattered much because Paul Skenes has a running mate at the top, and his name is Braxton Ashcraft.

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