Starting rotation continues to stumble as Pirates drop second game of series to Braves

Matt Press, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jun 6, 2026

Published in Baseball

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ATLANTA — The Pittsburgh Pirates may have a little déjà vu.

On Friday night, the Atlanta Braves knocked Mitch Keller around to the tune of six runs in 4 2/3 innings, with three runs coming in the fifth. And on Saturday afternoon, Braxton Ashcraft was met with a similar fate.

Ashcraft (5-3, 3.28 ERA) gave up nine hits and six runs — including three in the fifth — across five innings as the Pirates lost to the Braves, 6-3, at Truist Park. Spencer Strider (4-1, 4.00) earned the win for the Braves.

The Braves plated two runs in the first inning, with one coming on a sacrifice fly from Ozzie Albies and the other from an Austin Riley double to left field. Ashcraft settled in with a four-pitch second inning but gave up a run in the third when the Braves executed a double steal.

An RBI double from Nick Gonzales put the Pirates on the board in the fourth, and Tyler Callihan followed with a double of his own to score a run. Oneil Cruz barreled third on Callihan’s double as the tying run, but he was tagged out at the plate.

Despite tying the game in the fifth after Brandon Lowe knocked a sacrifice fly, the Braves’ Dominic Smith hit a two-run homer to left field as part of a three-run inning to hand Ashcraft one of his worst starts of the season.

It was over when …

… Smith homered into the Pirates’ bullpen to put the Braves ahead, 6-3, in the fifth inning.

On the mound

It was another rough outing for a Pirates’ starter. Ashcraft’s ERA jumped from 2.77 to 3.28 after his five innings, and the six runs he conceded were tied for the most in his career.

He had a sparkling month of May in which he recorded a 1.99 ERA in six starts, which was tied for the seventh-lowest among National League pitchers who threw at least 30 innings. But, like Keller on Friday, Ashcraft struggled to tame the Braves’ unrelenting lineup.

In five games to start June, Pirates’ starters have now given up 19 runs in 24 1/3 innings.

Yohan Ramirez gave up a two-run homer his last time out against the Houston Astros, but retired six batters in a row with two strikeouts in relief Saturday.

At the plate

Gonzales continued to add to what’s been a career-best season thus far. He entered Saturday batting .375 with runners in scoring position, and he doubled home Bryan Reynolds from second base in the fourth inning. His .315 batting average is now seventh in the majors.

The Pirates brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the eighth but couldn’t capitalize. They combined for eight hits and batted 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position overall.

Bucs bites

— The last time Callihan was at Truist Park, playing with the Cincinnati Reds on May 5 last year, he crashed into the foul ground wall in left field and suffered a fractured left forearm. He didn’t return to the big leagues last season and was traded to the Pirates in March for Kyle Nicolas. Callihan made his first start with the Pirates on Saturday afternoon at third base and went 1 for 3 with an RBI double.

— Gonzales has now hit safely in eight straight games, and he has nine RBIs in that span.

— Mauricio Dubon has had the Pirates’ number through two games. So far this weekend, Dubon is batting 4 for 8 with three RBIs.

Up next

The Pirates will look to avoid a sweep — as well as their fourth loss in the last five days — in a Sunday matinee at 1:35 p.m. ET. Bubba Chandler (2-6, 5.05) will start for the Pirates and Bryce Elder (5-3, 2.63) will take the hill for the Braves.

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