ARLINGTON -- It takes less than a tank of gas to drive from Robinson, Texas, to Arlington -- and even with higher prices at the pump, Pirates right-hander Braxton Ashcraft’s many friends and family who made it to Globe Life Field on Wednesday night got their money’s worth.
Ashcraft was a star pitcher and wide receiver at Robinson High School near Waco, about 110 miles away from Arlington, graduating in 2018. On Wednesday, in an 8-4 win over the Rangers, Ashcraft was as sharp as he’s been since leaving home, going deeper into a Major League game than ever (seven innings pitched), throwing more pitches than ever (94) and wriggling out of a jam at the end to complete his final inning.
The Pirates righty’s velocity ticked up a bit on all five of the pitch types he threw Wednesday, especially on a crisp slider that he deployed far more than usual (31 percent of his pitches compared with a career usage of only 18.5 percent). He was efficient, too. Through five innings, the 26-year-old had thrown only 68 pitches; a 10-pitch sixth inning bought him more time, and he got a called strikeout and a double play to end a 16-pitch seventh frame.
Although Gregory Soto allowed two earned runs in the eighth to relegate Ashcraft to a no-decision, the Bucs put runners on the corners with singles by Nick Gonzales and Spencer Horwitz in the top of the ninth. Gonzales scored on a swinging bunt fielder’s choice by pinch-hitter Jake Mangum.
Oneil Cruz then mashed a three-run homer that bounced off the top of the right-field foul pole. The ball had an exit velocity of 116.9 mph, the hardest-hit home run in MLB this season.
The Pirates fell behind 2-1 early on Josh Jung’s two-run homer in the second inning, but Ashcraft worked his way out of that inning with three consecutive outs. The Pirates manufactured three runs in the fifth inning, on three singles, a walk and a throwing error. Brandon Lowe tied the game with an RBI single before Bryan Reynolds drove in the go-ahead run with a single to right. Rangers right fielder Brandon Nimmo’s throw sailed over the infield, allowing Lowe to score on the play.