The Pirates eeked out a sweep in one of the best pitching duels in baseball this season 1-0. Braxton Ashcraft and Chase Burns combined for 14.2 innings of shut out baseball, with 28 whiffs generated between the two young gems. Oneil Cruz knocked in Konnor Griffin in the bottom of the 8th to get the Pirates their third straight win and rebound from the Cardinals sweep in a big way. The Pirates are now 19-16, have won 4-of-5 series against the NL Central, and are showing they are a tough team to keep down. Jim and Tyler broke it down on the NS9 Postgame Show powered by Primanti’s Bros which you can watch/listen below…
Here are my three takeaways from the series sweep.
Braxton Ashcraft Remains Insanely Good
Braxton Ashcraft did not have a great game on Tuesday against the Cardinals, but it’s hard to blame him coming back from the bereavement list on such short notice. Ashcraft bounced back in a major way, making quick work of the Reds on Sunday by throwing 7+ innings of shutout work. He finished with an incredible line of 0 ER, 4 H, and 6 K over 7.2 innings of work. Not only did he not allow many Reds hitters to reach base, he was also extremely efficient. By the time the 6th inning was over, he was sitting at a mere 64 pitches and had shown nothing to make you believe he was slowing down. He finishes his outing on 82 pitches, and only taken out so that they could get a lefty to face TJ Friedl. There have been a lot of positives to talk about with this current Pirates team, which has allowed Braxton to go somewhat unappreciated for the services he has provided this year. I remain convinced that he has been so good that he would be who I would give the ball to after Paul Skenes in a playoff series. Let us all take a minute to thank Neal Huntington for one final gift.
Sometimes You have to Tip your Cap
Ashcraft was not the only pitcher who looked like an ace in this game, as Reds pitcher Chase Burns went toe to toe with him throughout the afternoon. Burns looked unhittable as even fewer Pirates reached base against him than Reds did with Ashcraft. He generated 18 whiffs and struck out 7 during his outstanding start today. Both pitchers had surrendered only 2 hits apiece through six innings, and both had kept their pitch counts down to keep chugging along deep into the game. The Pirates offense has been one of the best run scoring units in baseball, so it is disappointing to see them get blanked ever. However, Burns is clearly emerging as one of the best young pitchers in the sport and Pirates fans will have to get used to being sad when his name is on the scorecard. He only needs a mix of 3 pitches to generate a 2.20 ERA on the season, and he helped generate a genuine pitchers duel on Sunday afternoon.
Elite Eye Bryan Reynolds?
One of the more surprising developments of the season is Bryan Reynolds becoming one of the best eyes in the sport. His OBP sits over .400, and is top 10 in MLB in that category. Reynolds was also one of the few Pirates who managed to reach base off Chase Burns, as he only permitted four base runners. What I am impressed with though is how good Reynolds is at challenges. While it came to nothing, Reynolds won two straight challenges to flip an at-bat from 0-2 to 2-0, allowing him to reach base. Reynolds is making some of the most money on this team and the last two years have been disappointing for a guy who once had the biggest contract in team history. However, this year he looks like a man reborn and I genuinely believe that the lineup protection of having good hitters around him is allowing him to be more patient and selective. The result is a Bryan Reynolds with an OPS well over .800 which is all you need from him. I can live with the shabby left field defense if this is the kind of hitter Reynolds can be all season.
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