That depth math showed up fast once the game started. Ashcraft came in on a 4-start winning streak and an ERA in the 3s — exactly the form that got him to Philadelphia for the All-Star Game — but the Yankees didn't seem to care about the résumé once they got in the box.
Both clubs arrived on uneven footing. Pittsburgh had won 3 of its last 5, including a stretch against Cleveland with a couple of comfortable wins, while New York had dropped 2 of its last 5 against the Dodgers and needed a gritty finish just to salvage that series. Monday looked like a chance for the Yankees to build off that momentum at home, and the lineup made sure it did.
The absences mattered in real time. With Judge and Stanton out, New York needed its depth pieces to produce runs in bunches instead of waiting on one swing — and that's exactly what happened early. Pittsburgh, missing 4 regulars including its starting catcher and first baseman, didn't have the same margin for error once the deficit built.
Ashcraft's final line didn't match the form that got him to Philadelphia, and Weathers got just enough from a shorthanded Yankees lineup to grab the win. For a Pirates team still hanging around .500 despite all the injuries, it's the kind of loss that stings more in hindsight than it did in the moment — they'll regroup for game 2 of the series.