Esmerlyn Valdez's three-home run day leads Pirates to sweep of Brewers in doubleheader

Matt Press, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jul 11, 2026

Published in Baseball

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PITTSBURGH — The Esmerlyn Valdez emergence featured another sparkling chapter Saturday afternoon.

In the first game of a doubleheader at PNC Park, Valdez smacked an opposite-field, seventh-inning grand slam — the first of his young career — to help lift the Pirates to a 7-6 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Valdez hit two homers in Game 1 and accounted for six of the Pirates’ seven runs.

“I did not imagine a day like this,” Valdez said, with major league coach Stephen Morales translating. “But nothing is impossible. And today went my way.”

Things kept going his way, too. Valdez hammered a two-run home run in Game 2 as the Pirates won, 3-2, to sweep the doubleheader and clinch a series victory.

Overall, Valdez went 4 for 8 with three home runs and eight RBIs on the day.

Newly minted All-Star Braxton Ashcraft (9-3, 3.49 ERA) got the ball in Game 1 and gave up five hits and five runs — including two homers — across five innings. The Pirates quickly chased Brewers starter Brandon Sproat (3-4, 5.18) following three innings in which he threw 83 pitches.

They scored two runs in the first, one from a Valdez RBI single and the other from an error by Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz.

Ashcraft got tagged in the second on a two-run home run from Jake Bauers, but Valdez gave the Pirates the lead back in the third with a solo homer to center field.

In the fifth, Ashcraft gave up two consecutive doubles and a home run to Sal Frelick, whose two-run shot put the Brewers up 5-3. The National League Central leaders added another run in the top of the seventh off a William Contreras RBI single, but Valdez’s grand slam in the bottom of the frame put the Pirates back in front for good.

In Game 2, Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.77) issued three walks and gave up two runs while striking out six in 4 2/3 innings.

Valdez opened the scoring with a home run to left field in the fourth. In the top of the fifth, a two-run, game-tying double from Brice Turang knocked Chandler out of the game and brought on recently acquired lefty Brandon Eisert for his Pirates debut.

Eisert walked the first two batters he faced to load the bases but escaped with an easy grounder. The Pirates regained the lead in the sixth after a Bryan Reynolds RBI single, and the bullpen combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings to seal the win.

On the mound

Ashcraft was shaky in his final start before the break. He threw 37 pitches in his fifth and final inning and ended the day with 98, tied for his second most this season. He’s now given up six home runs in his last three starts.

Pirates manager Don Kelly mentioned Ashcraft’s workload Friday afternoon, saying it’s “something we’ll need to monitor and be mindful of.” Through 19 starts, Ashcraft has thrown 113 1/3 innings — and his career high was 118 across Triple-A Indianapolis and the majors last season.

“Overall, my body feels better right now than it did at the beginning of last year,” Ashcraft said. “That’s a testament to the routine that I’ve had.”

Carmen Mlodzinski issued two walks and gave up his first run since June 10, but he earned the win and gave the Pirates critical length with his three innings.

In Game 2, Chandler gave up five hits and threw 97 pitches. His command and efficiency were lacking at times, but he gave the Pirates a competitive start before the bullpen quintet of Eisert, Yohan Ramirez, Dennis Santana, Isaac Mattson and Mason Montgomery kept the Brewers quiet.

At the plate

Valdez went 3 for 4 with two home runs in Game 1 and 1 for 4 with a home run in Game 2. The 22-year-old now has 10 home runs and 26 RBIs in 27 games since being called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 22. He’s batting .311 with a 1.092 OPS.

“It’s electric,” Ashcraft said. “They don’t call him The Magician for no reason. ... You know something special is going to happen.”

Bucs bites

— To make room for trade acquisitions Eisert and infielder Jacob Gonzalez on the 40-man roster, the Pirates transferred Konnor Griffin from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list and designated right-handed reliever Cam Sanders for assignment Saturday morning.

Before the second game of the doubleheader, they optioned reliever Thomas Harrington and infielder Jack Brannigan while adding 6-foot-8 reliever Noah Murdock as the 27th man.

— Wilber Dotel’s rehab assignment was transferred to Triple-A Indianapolis as he works back from a right lat muscle strain. Dotel (15-day injured list) threw two scoreless innings and struck out four with Double-A Altoona on Tuesday.

— Reynolds knocked his 400th career extra-base hit with a fourth-inning double in the second game of the doubleheader. He’s now one of 17 players in franchise history to meet that mark.

Up next

Paul Skenes (7-8, 3.58) will start for the Pirates at 12:15 p.m. on Sunday however he will not face the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski, the Brewers announced. Instead it will be Robert Gasser (2-3, 4.15) for Milwaukee.