Braxton Ashcraft (8-3, 3.24 ERA) has quietly turned into one of the better arms in the NL Central, and he drew a Nationals lineup that had to counter with Carson Palmquist, who came in with an 8.44 ERA and just 3.1 innings in his last outing. On paper that's a mismatch, and the Pirates treated it like one.
Washington's been getting by lately on a lineup that's finally clicking — Dylan Crews has heated up in a big way over the past couple weeks — but Saturday's group was without Jacob Young, scratched with left hand soreness, and the rotation depth chart behind Palmquist is still a mess with Jake Irvin, DJ Herz and Josiah Gray all on extended IL stints. That's a lot of pressure on a starter who hasn't looked right since coming back.
The Pirates, meanwhile, are dealing with their own bullpen headache — Evan Sisk landed on the 15-day IL with elbow inflammation the same day this one was played — but that didn't matter against a Nationals offense that couldn't touch Ashcraft. Pittsburgh jumped on Palmquist early and coasted from there.
The Pirates put up 4 runs in the 2nd inning and never looked back, tacking on 2 more in the 8th to close it out 7-1. They out-hit Washington 11-6 and neither team committed an error — this one just wasn't competitive after the second.
It's the kind of result that should sting more for Washington given how the week had been going — 4 wins in their last 5 coming in, including a series win over Pittsburgh just a night earlier. One flat start from Palmquist erased all that momentum in a hurry.
For the Pirates, it's a reminder of what Ashcraft's presence means to a rotation that's otherwise been shaky — Jared Jones is day-to-day, and with Cherington reportedly looking to add bullpen help before the deadline, days like this are exactly why Pittsburgh still believes it's in the wild card mix.
- Day-To-DayJared Jones SP — no
- 10-Day-ILSpencer Horwitz 1B — Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that Horwitz (hamstring) will remain sidelined for "weeks, not days," and the first baseman isn't expected to return from the 10-day injured list until after the All-Star break, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 10-Day-ILOneil Cruz CF — Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday that he expects Cruz (hand) to return from the 10-day injured list at some point in July, most likely after the All-Star break, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 15-Day-ILEvan Sisk RP — Sisk was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with left elbow inflammation, Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
- 15-Day-ILWilber Dotel RP — Dotel (lat) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Altoona on Saturday, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILChris Devenski RP — Devenski (illness) was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
- Day-To-DayJacob Young CF — Young has been removed from Saturday's lineup against the Pirates due to left hand soreness.
- 15-Day-ILRichard Lovelady RP — The Nationals placed Lovelady on the 15-day injured list Monday with a left triceps strain.
- 15-Day-ILJake Irvin SP — Irvin (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMitchell Parker RP — The Nationals transferred Parker (elbow) to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.
- 60-Day-ILTrevor Williams SP — Williams (elbow) struck out a batter and allowed four runs (two earned) on four hits and no walks while recording two outs in a rehab start Sunday with Single-A Fredericksburg.
- 60-Day-ILDJ Herz SP — Herz (elbow) was diagnosed Monday with a left flexor strain, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILMax Kranick RP — Kranick (elbow) began a rehab assignment with Single-A Fredericksburg on Sunday, striking out two over 1.2 perfect innings.
- 60-Day-ILKen Waldichuk RP — Waldichuk (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery and an internal brace procedure April 21 and is hopeful to return to game action at some point early in the 2027 season, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.