Nine observations: Pirates really need to sustain the momentum they've built

On a rainy Saturday night in Toronto, it may have been tough to see. It was definitely difficult after the Pirates dropped three straight to the Phillies, failing to score a run in the final two games.

But if you looked around PNC Park Tuesday during the Pirates’ 12-1 thrashing of the Cubs, you didn’t have to squint to see a team with the makings of something more.

Braxton Ashcraft, on the one-year anniversary of his MLB debut, continued his breakout campaign with 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball. Konnor Griffin hit leadoff for the first time and gave everyone something to ponder for Wednesday. Esmerlyn Valdez homered for the second time in four MLB games.

As a team, the Pirates pounded out 15 hits, Oneil Cruz got right with three, and Spencer Horwitz continued his sneaky excellent season.

It was the type of win that inspires belief, and it started with Ashcraft, a 26-year-old Texan who’s one of several younger players on this roster intent on making their mark.

“I’m proud of the guys and how we’re able to come in off the road trip, bounce back there Sunday in Toronto and come back to PNC and play well [Monday] and win two different types of ballgames,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “Every single day we need to come in and prepare like that, go out and compete and have good at-bats. Starting pitching has been the foundation.”

So many storylines in this one. Let’s get started.

1. Such dominance has become routine for Ashcraft, who has gone at least 6 1/3 innings in six of his last seven starts, four times in that span going at least seven. It’s been workhorse and ace-type stuff, and it’s baffling more people aren't noticing.

His ERA sits at 2.75. Only 13 in MLB have been better. With five more strikeouts, Ashcraft raised his season total to 70, which is tied for 12th in the Major Leagues.

This outing looked like many for Ashcraft this season, as he threw strikes, got ahead and used his wipeout stuff to either miss bats or induce weak contact. Ashcraft threw first-pitch strikes to 25 of the 29 hitters he faced (86%).

Using his slider 41% of the time (compared to 22% coming in), Ashcraft also racked up 14 whiffs. Few are doing it better right now.

“It’s a lot easier to pitch when you’re pitching ahead,” Ashcraft said. “That’s been a big point of emphasis throughout my whole career.”

2. It was interesting to hear Ashcraft say postgame that his body feels better than ever. As a kid growing up in Robinson, Texas, Ashcraft played sports constantly. He was a high-level wide receiver on the football field, where he joked that his body took a beating.

As a young pro, Ashcraft admitted he wasn’t great about taking care of his body. But over time, through several injuries in the Minor Leagues, he’s become incredibly meticulous about the process.

“Learned how to take care of my body, how to recognize certain things, address it and get ahead of stuff,” Ashcraft said. “With that knowledge, it makes it really easy to feel good every fifth day or sixth day.”

The Pirates Ashcraft to feel good. Through 11 starts, he’s logged 68 2/3 innings. Last year, between the Majors and Minors, Ashcraft threw 118. Most teams won’t jump a young pitcher more than 30 or so innings year-to-year, which could mean some shorter or different outings for Ashcraft.

But the better he feels, the more opportunity he could have to push that.

3. Big picture, the Pirates have won five of six series against the NL Central thus far. They won four all of last year.

They're 29-26 and have scored first an MLB-high 37 times, going 26-11 when doing so. The starting pitching has been there. Ditto for the offense. If the bullpen can continue to pitch well, the Pirates can take advantage of a soft spot in the schedule against the Cubs, Twins and Astros.

Time for them to get hot? We'll see.

4. It was hard to not like Griffin in the leadoff spot. I’ve been fine with the Pirates’ conservative approach to where he's been hitting, but he’s showing he’s ready for more. Give him the opportunity.

Griffin entered Tuesday’s game hitting .311 with 10 extra-base hits, 12 RBIs, nine walks, eight steals and 19 runs scored over his previous 28 games and reached base twice against the Cubs.

It was impressive to see Griffin motor from second base to home on Bryan Reynolds’ grounder to third, as well as his heads-up head fake that seemed to affect Alex Bregman.

Kelly cited Griffin's leadoff walk and going first to third on Brandon Lowe’s single, saying “it really set the tone for the aggressiveness in how we played.” Zero argument here. Keep Griffin there.

5. The special night for Valdez started with a home run that once again showcased his impressive power. But this time instead of barely muscling a ball over the fence, he crushed it.

Getting a 2-2 slider located middle-away, Valdez blasted his two-run homer 415 feet to center to give the Pirates a 5-0 lead during an action-packed first. In the process, he became just the seventh Pirate in the Modern Era (since 1901) to homer twice in his first four MLB games.

Austin Meadows (2018) was the last to do it before Valdez. And before Meadows, Dick Stuart (1958) was the last Pirate to homer twice in his first four Major League games.

6. Special moment for Valdez, too, who had his mother (Betania Ramirez), father (Alexis Valdez) and brothers (Alex, Elian and Albert Valdez) in attendance.

“Unforgettable moment, for sure,” Valdez said, with major league coach Stephen Morales translating.

7. Dropping Oneil Cruz down in the order has helped the Pirates center fielder — at least at the plate. (This was a game to forget for Cruz in the field.)

Cruz now has five hits in the past two games, increasing his average to .423 (11 for 26) in seven games out of the No. 5 spot this season. Cruz also kept up his mastery of the Cubs. He’s now hitting .611 (11 for 18) with a home run and six stolen bases against them in 2026.

8. We’ll see what happens with Brandan Bidois whenever Jared Jones comes back. He’s one of only a couple Pirates relievers with options, so he may be the odd man out. But he continued to make a strong impression by relieving Ashcraft and notching five outs.

Bidois struck out three and generated six whiffs in just 1 2/3 scoreless frames. The right-hander is basically a two-pitch guy, but he has a 97-mph fastball and a sharp slider that looked really good against the Cubs.

In six appearances this season, Bidois sliced his season ERA to 2.57.

9. While Ashcraft hasn’t generated a lot of headlines outside of Pittsburgh, Spencer Horwitz may be even more overlooked. Few realize how good this guy has been — and he collected two more hits, including a seventh-inning homer. Horwitz has a .946 OPS in May, 11th-best in MLB.

Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.