Bubba Chandler couldn't help but laugh when he was asked about following Braxton Ashcraft's complete-game, 85-pitch, 10-strikeout masterpiece Thursday in Miami.
"He set the bar way too high," Chandler said.
Ashcraft's outing probably isn’t repeatable, but the momentum generated might be sustainable. It looked that way Friday, as the Pirates rolled a bunch of ingredients into an 8-4 victory over the Red Sox at PNC Park.
They got another strong start — this time from Chandler. Rafael Flores Jr. did more damage with three hits, including a homer, and Brandon Lowe delivered the knockout punch with his three-run blast in the fifth.
The Pirates executed a perfect relay. Five of their nine hits went for extra bases. Esmerlyn Valdez delivered a key, two-run double during a three-run fourth.
It was the type of baseball this team has played for much of the year … but also a style that has been elusive for the Pirates since late July, Pittsburgh dropping 12 of 16 since a win over the Diamondbacks on July 27.
“Guys feel the pressure in August,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “There is pressure. We’re competing for something. How do we slow the game down, continue to work, continue to grind and fight through it even when we’re not feeling our best?
“These guys have shown they’re really good. Eventually we’re going to come out of it and score runs.”
That obviously needs to happen now. Friday’s win represented the Pirates’ first set of back-to-back victories since July 26-27 and raised their record to 60-64. Yet they’re still 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League.
That’s also not where the collective goals reside right now.
Friday represented the rare feat of beating a lefty starter for just the 11th time in 37 tries, a small victory. It was about Flores taking advantage of his opportunity, the bullpen (mostly) functioning the way it should and getting clutch hits with runners in scoring position.
Pittsburgh scored five of its eight runs with two outs.
“Overall, I thought our approach was much better against a left-hander,” Kelly said. “I think it showed with the amount of runs we were able to score.”
The swing that put this one out of reach came courtesy of Lowe in the fifth, turning a two-run game into a 7-2 Pirates lead. After striking out in each of his first two at-bats, Lowe hammered a 2-1 changeup Red Sox reliever Jovani Morán left over the middle of the plate.
Lowe found the right-field seats for his team-high 26th home run of the season, the most for a Pirate since Jack Suwinski hit that same number back in 2023.
It was also the 21st of Lowe’s career against the Red Sox, tied with the Blue Jays for his most versus any team.
“Huge hit with two outs and runners in scoring position,” Kelly said.
The Pirates also wore down that lefty starter, Jake Bennett, with a 37-pitch fourth.
Valdez handed the Pirates a 3-0 lead with his two-run double to left, which he laced at 110.5. It came on a 1-0 changeup that Bennett did not locate well.
Valdez, who now has 41 RBIs in 54 games this season, had been in a massive slump but is now hitting .333 (5 for 15) over his past four, showing signs of a turnaround.
“When I hit that ball and got to second base, I just saw it as trying to help the team because those two runs are huge right there,” Valdez said, with Major League coach Stephen Morales translating. “And right now, as a team, we're playing to win every game because we know every game from now on matters.”
Flores followed with a line-drive single to left, turning on an inside fastball to mark his fourth straight plate appearance with an RBI. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Flores is the first Pirate to do that since Starling Marte from July 23-24, 2018.
Flores got things started for the Pirates with a solo shot in the second, building on his two-homer game Thursday in Miami. It was an impressive swing, too: 1-2 changeup away, Flores going the opposite way to right.
It was the first home run Bennett had allowed on his changeup all year. Opponents entered the game hitting just .179 against the pitch and slugging .194.
“I’m sure he didn’t expect a homer back side,” Flores said. “But I put a good swing on it, and it went out.”
The start for Chandler was a strong one. He gave the Pirates five innings of two-run ball, allowing four hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
The Pirates right-hander breezed through the first three, facing one over the minimum and striking out three. When Chandler fanned designated hitter Masataka Yoshida to open the fourth, it was his fourth strikeout on four different pitches.
After a two-out single from first baseman Willson Contreras in the fourth, right fielder Wilyer Abreu followed with a double that split the right-center gap. However, a terrific relay from the Pirates prevented Contreras from scoring.
Jake Mangum backhanded the ball off the wall. Jared Triolo delivered a strong throw home. Henry Davis scooped it and looked like an infielder making the tag.
“Big momentum swing there,” Kelly said.
Chandler, who’s 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA since the All-Star break, ensured it didn’t stop, flashing his maturity.
Despite walking the first two in the fifth, Chandler limited the damage to two runs and didn’t allow the Pirates to hand that momentum back to the Red Sox.
Small thing? Maybe. But it’s another sign of why this win may have represented some important progress for the Pirates.
“Earlier in the year, I don’t get out of the fifth,” Chandler said. “I either give up the four runs and the lead’s gone or we have to go to the bullpen and burn another guy.
“I just want to keep stacking those innings kinda like we’re stacking wins. Keep your head down and look up in a couple months.”
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.