The Pirates righted the ship and tied up the series against the Rangers in Arlington tonight 8-4. The Battlin’ Buccos were led by an elite 7 innings from Braxton Ashcraft, who only gave up a short home run and shut down the Rangers lineup for the rest of his outing. The offense managed to strike in three different innings in a back-and-forth struggle. The Pirates move out of last place in the NL Central and improve to 14-10 on the season. On Thursday, the Pirates look to take the series against Jacob deGrom before flying to the house of horrors in Milwaukee. Jim and I recapped this one on the NS9 Postgame Show which you can listen to or watch above. Here are my 3 takeaways from this win.
This Team is Tough to Beat
The Pirates have not lost two straight games since the first two games of the season in New York City. This team has shown a lot of grit and fight over the first 24 games of the early season, as shown by an ability to prevent losing streaks and to surmount multi run deficits. We blew the lead twice today, and yet the offense rallied and scored 8 runs that proved too much for the Rangers to combat. Pittsburgh has managed to come back from trailing multiple times this season and has been extremely competitive in their losses as well. Last night’s loss was the first time in nearly two weeks that they lost by more than one run. They have also held their own against teams that are winning early. Of the 14 wins so far, 8 of them have come against teams that are currently .500 or better. All of these factors considered, this should be a team that is competitive for a playoff berth until the very end. They check all the boxes: Elite starting pitching, a lineup that is capable of mashing on its day, and a mentality that makes them incredibly tough to beat. It makes looking at the current NL Central standings more tolerable, as teams like the Reds and the Cardinals cannot say they hold up to the same scrutiny.
Braxton Ashcraft: Playoff Starter?
Braxton Ashcraft was a very popular breakout candidate choice going into the season, and yet, despite this, he has still exceeded expectations in every facet. Wednesday, he gave the Bucs an incredible 7 innings over 94 pitches and only gave up 2 runs. Even when he was clearly gassed in that 7th inning, he brought enough energy together to mow through the Rangers lineup one last time. The 26-year-old is somehow tracking to earn Cy Young votes and building on a strong rookie campaign from 2025. He is currently striking out 30% of batters faced, and he has posted a 2.34 ERA, and his FIP is well below 2 as well.
If the playoffs were to start tomorrow, it is no question that Ashcraft would be handed the ball to start game 2 after Paul Skenes. His curveball, despite giving up a home run with it tonight, has already been worth a run value of 4. Any statistic, regular or advanced, will come to the same conclusion about Braxton. That he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since he debuted and pitched like an ace. He had an army of family members in attendance tonight, and he put on a show for them, like he has pretty much every start he’s had since debuting in the league.
Oneil Cruz is Superhuman
Can Oneil Cruz be frustrating at times? Yes. Has he fully lived up to his prospect potential? Nope, and that is disappointing. Even in this game, he struck out 3 times, he got caught stealing, and he didn’t make a catch he probably should have. Yet, I do not want him to play a single inning for a team that doesn’t wear the black and gold. Cruz is a human highlight reel and hit one of the most impressive home runs I have ever seen in my life. The ball was hit so hard that it is now the hardest-hit home run of the season. The ball somehow made it to the top of the foul pole, which is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. The nuke also secured the Pirates win and put the game far out of reach. Oneil is a guy who is finally coming into his own offensively, as he is well on pace to swipe 40 bags and to eclipse 30 home runs this season. He leads the team in RBIs, runs, home runs (tied), stolen bases, doubles, and hits. This is a talent that simply is impossible to replace with the raw skills that he possesses.
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