BRADENTON, Fla. — Braxton Ashcraft decided to flip the script on his pitch usage against the Philadelphia Phillies, throwing his sinker five times more than his four-seam fastball.
The intention was for the sinker to provide a perfect complement to his bread-and-butter pitch, the slider, against a lineup loaded with right-handed hitters. It was an effective strategy, as the sinker drew three of his six called strikes, and the slider got six of his 10 whiffs.
“That was a big point of emphasis, to throw that, dominate with that and lean on it like I know that I should, and have,” Ashcraft said. “Next outing, progress into something else and make sure everything is 100% when Game 1 comes around.”
Ashcraft is trying to prove a point that he belongs in the starting rotation for the Pittsburgh Pirates and solidified it by striking out five Phillies without allowing a walk in his third start of spring training. He allowed two earned runs on three hits over three-plus innings in a 14-10 loss Friday in a Grapefruit League game at LECOM Park.
It was a split-squad day for the Pirates, who lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-2, in Dunedin. Bubba Chandler also had five strikeouts and allowed one run on one hit and three walks over three innings, and Jake Mangum and Dominic Fletcher went 2 for 3.
The 6-foot-5, 218-pound Ashcraft began his major league career in the bullpen last season but was more effective in a starting role come early August. He went 4-4 with a 2.71 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 26 appearances but was 1-2 with a 2.16 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, 35 strikeouts and 10 walks in 33 1/3 innings over eight starts.
“Your best ability is your availability,” Ashcraft said. “I don’t really think too much into that stuff. I just want to help get wins in Pittsburgh. Whatever way I can do that, it’s a great deal. It goes back to not just myself but the body of work we’ve put in. We’ve put ourselves in a position to be able to be where we are and to be able to be excited about the season. Just try to get wins in Pittsburgh in any ways I can.”
Ashcraft showed that he can do so with the sinker, which served as his fourth offering last season at 14.8% usage but was used on 20 of his 53 pitches. Last season, Ashcraft threw the slider on 31.2% of his pitches and the four-seamer on 29.7%, followed by the curveball at 21.1%.
Despite a fastball velocity that ranks in the 86th percentile at 96.8 mph, per Statcast, Ashcraft threw only four heaters against the Phillies. Instead, he spent more energy on his spin, and with good reason.
Ashcraft got Rafael Marchan swinging at a full-count slider to end the first inning, then struck out the side in the second by beating former Pirates Bryan De La Cruz and Liover Peguero on 1-2 curveballs and Felix Reyes on a 1-2 slider. In the third inning, Ashcraft got Johan Rojas to chase a 2-2 slider at the bottom of the strike zone to end the frame.
“That was the point of emphasis today. Just going in and spinning the ball well,” Ashcraft said. “There have been a few things I’ve been working on in bullpens and stuff, so it’s fun to see the work you put in on a daily basis pay dividends on the field.”
Right fielder Ryan O’Hearn took Saul Teran opposite field for a three-run home run, sending a 2-1 sinker 383 feet to left-center to drive in Jared Triolo and Bryan Reynolds for a 3-0 lead in the third inning.
Ashcraft started the fourth but gave up back-to-back doubles to Otto Kemp and Marchan that cut it to 3-1. Things fell apart when Brandon Cain, a converted outfielder, replaced Ashcraft. The Phillies scored nine runs in the fourth to turn a three-run deficit into a 9-3 lead. The Pirates rallied behind home runs by Yordany De Los Santos, Derek Berg and Omar Alfonzo to tie the score, but Casey DeMartini hit a three-run homer for the Phillies in a four-run ninth to seal the win.
Note: Left-hander Hunter Barco is scheduled to start against right-hander Casey Mize and the Detroit Tigers at 1:05 p.m. Saturday at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland. The game will be televised live on MLB Network.
