PITTSBURGH — As the end of the 2026 season nears, Braxton Ashcraft has surpassed his career high in innings by nearly 50 frames.
“September, I don’t think anybody’s feeling fantastic, but I’m able to pitch,” Ashcraft said. “I want to pitch. It’s just one of those things. I don’t think you could ask anybody in the league if they feel great right now and they’d say ‘Yes.’ So yeah, I feel serviceable. Just focusing on recovery in between starts, prioritizing that and everything right now. There’s a little bit more emphasis on the recovery piece of things, but that’s the long answer. The short answer is I feel fine.”
In Ashcraft’s 28th start of the season on Saturday, he allowed three runs as the Pirates fell to the Angels, 6-1, at PNC Park. Pittsburgh never led in the contest, and mustered its only run in the eighth inning on Bryan Reynolds’ solo home run.
Ashcraft was pulled after just 67 pitches and five innings. His pitch count was his lowest of the season, which showcased how closely the Pirates are monitoring his usage the rest of the season. Ashcraft threw 118 innings between the Minor and Major Leagues last season. He’s now almost 50 innings past that total, finishing Saturday at 165 1/3 innings pitched.
“He’s not necessarily limited,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said of Ashcraft. “Just as we’ve talked about going through the year, understanding the amount of innings that he’s thrown and just paying attention to where he’s at throughout the game.”
As Ashcraft chased down his 15th win of the season, he started by showing off his usual efficiency. The 26-year-old cruised through his first three innings on just 34 pitches while striking out six and allowing one hit.
It came crashing down when the Angels broke through in the fourth on a bloop double from Wade Meckler, who scored on Moisés Ballesteros’ RBI single for a 1-0 lead. Ashcraft was able to quickly rebound with his eighth strikeout of the game to end the inning.
In the fifth, however, Josh Lowe took Ashcraft deep as the Halos’ lead grew to 2-0. Later in the inning, Zach Neto made it 3-0 on a RBI single.
Kelly said it appeared Ashcraft’s pitches began to rise in the fifth inning. His velocity was down and his command wasn’t as sharp. Ashcraft somewhat agreed, though he’s not worried about when he exits or, as he puts it, “managing the game.”
“The best I can do is tell them how I feel, and they make decisions on my behalf,” Ashcraft said. “And I support whatever they have in store and what their plans are. I know that there’s a more thought-out process behind that than me just saying I want to go out and pitch and compete. So, just kind of defer to that and tell them I’m good to go, if I’m good to go. And if I’m not good to go, tell them I’m not good to go.”
Ashcraft’s 2026 campaign has surpassed expectations. He made his first All-Star team after a stellar first half, and continued his success into the second half. Ashcraft’s August featured a 2.13 ERA in six outings, and Pittsburgh went 5-1 in those games.
To start September, when the Pirates needed every win they could get, Ashcraft hasn’t been quite the same thus far. Pittsburgh’s offense hasn’t helped much either.
“I executed a lot of pitches, but I got punished on the ones I didn’t,” Ashcraft said. “That’s kind of been the story of the year. It’s part of the game. A bunch of strikeouts, but I didn’t put us in [position] to win the ballgame, so it eats at me a little bit.”