North Shore Nine

The Pirates dropped another lifeless one, falling 2–1 to the Reds in a game that felt over before it began. Braxton Ashcraft was sharp in his start, striking out five over 3.1 innings and showing the command and stuff that’s had fans intrigued all season. The bullpen — Mlodzinski, Borucki, Mattson, and Sanders — held Cincinnati in check, allowing just two runs total. The offense? Four hits. That’s it. Even with Oneil Cruz’s gritty leadoff walk in the ninth, there was no urgency on the bases and no clutch hit to be found. Spencer Horwitz continued his solid post–All-Star stretch, but he’s one of the few bright spots in a lineup that’s running out of answers. When you get shut down by Nick Martinez and the only drama is who’s pinch hitting for Joey Bart, you know it’s bad. Pitching kept them in it — again — but without bats, it’s just another wasted day.