The hope was for the Pirates to head to Chicago next week at .500, which would’ve required a sweep of the Los Angeles Angels at PNC Park this weekend.
Those plans were complicated on Saturday thanks to a 6-1 loss, one that featured more struggles against a left-handed starter and short-circuited momentum they've built recently.
It sets up a rubber match for the series Sunday … but also reinforces the idea that the Pirates offense has too many games like this in the second half.
As good as this group was in the first half, the Pirates are 27th in runs (177) since the All-Star break and have the worst OPS (.655) among all National League clubs since that time.
The Pirates fell to 70-73 with the uneventful loss, which featured three hits — including an eighth-inning homer — from Bryan Reynolds and not much else for the home team.
Pittsburgh went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position while stranding eight and striking out nine times.
Facing another left-handed starter in Yusei Kikuchi, the Pirates suffered a familiar fate, struggling to make much solid contact or string enough hits together to stage a rally.
"We didn’t get much going," Pirates manager Don Kelly said. "He had the velo working. Splitter was pretty good. He threw the breaking ball out of the zone. We chased a few, but he had some pretty good stuff."
Kikuchi entered the game 0-5 with a 5.65 ERA, allowing four home runs in his past two starts. However, the Pirates didn’t have multiple baserunners in an inning until the sixth; double plays ruined that chance after they got the leadoff man on in both the fourth and fifth.
Using primarily four-seamers, sliders and curveballs, Kikuchi amassed 14 whiffs, struck out six and stacked a half-dozen scoreless frames. The Pirates hard just five hard-hit balls (95 mph or greater exit velocity) against Kikuchi.
Pittsburgh got the first two runners on in the sixth. However, Oneil Cruz, Nick Gonzales and Rafael Flores Jr. made outs to extinguish the threat.
"When we’ve been good, we’ve stayed up the middle or gone the other way," Kelly said. "When we haven’t, we’ve gotten outside of the approach.
"I know the numbers coming in weren’t very good. But he’s a good pitcher. We just need to be more selective and have a better approach against left-handers.
The loss dropped the Pirates to 14-31 against left-handed starters this season.
Reynolds gave Pirates fans something to cheer about in the eighth, when he blasted an elevated cutter 421 feet (at 108.8 mph) over the seats in right field for his 16th of the season.
It was the first homer for Reynolds since July 28, snapping a stretch of 34 games without one. That matched the longest stretch of homeless games in Reynolds’ career.
However, the inning ended when Cruz was caught stealing third, an unnecessary risk and breaking one of baseball’s cardinal rules.
"Something we can’t do right there," Kelly said. "Second base, if you know you’re gonna be safe, we’re on board with that. But third base, we can’t be going right there."
Despite Braxton Ashcraft breezing through the first three innings, the Angels took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on catcher Moises Ballesteros’ single through the right side. It looked like Gonzales might have a play on the ball before he dropped to his knees.
But the first-pitch slider that caught too much plate was also hit at 108.9 mph — not exactly a routine play.
"He needs to find a way to knock it out down, especially with a guy on second base," Kelly said. "Keep it in the infield.
The Angels increased their lead to 3-0 an inning later. Right fielder Josh Lowe opened the inning with a solo home run off Ashcraft, connecting on a 2-0 four-seamer that was left middle-middle.
Lowe blasted it 410 feet to center field for the first homer Ashcraft has allowed in his past three starts.
Third baseman Denzer Guzman, who advanced to third after an Ashcraft balk, scored on a single to center from shortstop Zach Neto, who turned around another heater over the heart of the plate.
"I executed a lot of pitches, but I got punished on the ones I didn't," Ashcraft said. "I didn't put us in the best position to win a ballgame."
The game was out of reach by that point, but the Angels kept pouring it on in the seventh. Center fielder Mike Trout made it 4-0 with his single to left before left fielder Wade Meckler went down and got a slider that he hit 387 feet to center for a two-run double.
This was a shortened start for Ashcraft, who worked just five innings and allowed three earned runs, tied for the most he’s allowed in a start since Aug. 1.
Ashcraft racked up nine strikeouts, but that hardly mattered given the damage incurred and the lack of offense produced by the Pirates offense.
By the numbers
70-73: Overall record
5.0: Games back in NL Wild Card race
11: Extra-base hits among the 20 Flores has this season.
4: Pirates are looking to win four straight series for the first time since July 9-24, 2024. They're also aiming for four consecutive series victories at home. That hasn't happened since May 24-June 19, 2024.
Around the horn
Ashcraft drew 11 called strikes with his curveball, the most by a Pirates pitcher since Rich Hill had 15 at San Diego on July 25, 2023.
This was also his third MLB outing with at least nine strikeouts and no walks. The right-hander has not allowed more than one walk in seven consecutive starts, totaling five walks in 43 innings since Aug. 1.
Flores finished 2 for 3 on challenges Saturday. He has won 15 of 25 as a catcher this season.
Yohan Ramirez has made 31 consecutive appearances without allowing a homer, covering 41 2/3 innings since June 6.
Jason Mackey: Jason.Mackey@pirates.com and @JMackey_PGH on X.