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Ashcraft (5-3) took the loss Saturday against Atlanta, allowing six runs on nine hits and no walks in five innings. He struck out five.
Ashcraft fired 61 of his 86 pitches for strikes Saturday, but he might've been too aggressive in pounding the zone. The 26-year-old right-hander was knocked around for a season-worst nine hits and tied a season high in runs allowed, though he was still able to pitch at least five innings for the 12th time in 13 starts this year. Ashcraft will bring a strong 3.28 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 86:17 K:BB over 79.2 frames into his next scheduled outing at home against the Marlins.
Mangum is not in the Pirates' starting lineup against Atlanta on Saturday.
Mangum will be on the bench for the start of Saturday's game while Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz and Ryan O'Hearn start in the outfield from left to right. Mangum has gone 10-for-27 (.370) with five steals, one home run and four RBI over his last 10 games.
Keller (5-3) was tagged with the loss Friday against Atlanta, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks across 4.2 innings. He struck out four and also hit a batter.
Keller enjoyed an excellent start to the season, and while some regression was expected, he's been hit hard of late. He's given up four or more runs in four of his last five appearances, a stretch in which he's gone 1-2 while posting an 8.31 ERA and 1.58 WHIP with a 20:9 K:BB across 26 innings. Keller has now fallen short of five innings in his last two appearances. Keller won't have an easier outing next time around since he's scheduled to face the Dodgers at home next week.
O'Hearn is absent from the lineup for Friday's contest in Atlanta.
The left-handed-swinging O'Hearn has homered twice and reached base six times in four games since coming off the injured list, but he will get a breather Friday versus Atlanta southpaw Martin Perez. Marcell Ozuna will be the Pirates' designated hitter, Jhostynxon Garcia will patrol right field and Spencer Horwitz will handle first base.
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Pirates' Brandon Lowe: Scores twice in win
Rotowire
Lowe went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored Thursday against the Astros.
Lowe ignited a Pirates rally with each of his doubles, coming around to score both times. It was his first multi-hit game in his last seven starts, though he's still been plenty productive of late. Across his last 10 games, Lowe has two homers, eight RBI and 10 runs scored. He's maintained an .873 OPS across 57 games this season, his highest mark since 2020.
O'Hearn went 2-for-4 with a home run and an additional RBI in a 5-1 win against Houston on Thursday.
O'Hearn kicked off the scoring with an RBI single in the third inning. He later hit Pittsburgh's only homer of the game with a two-run shot to right field in the sixth. Thursday marked O'Hearn's fourth game since he returned from a stay on the injured list due to a quad injury. He hasn't missed a beat, batting .357 (5-for-14) with two homers and four RBI over those four contests.
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Pirates' Carmen Mlodzinski: Records four-inning save
Rotowire
Mlodzinski notched a save against the Astros on Thursday, allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out three batters over four innings.
Mlodzinski made his first appearance since he was moved out of the rotation and subsequently had a short stay on the restricted list. The right-hander followed Jared Jones, who pitched five scoreless innings, and tossed 55 pitches (36 strikes), with the only run against him coming on an Isaac Paredes solo homer. Mlodzinski notched the second save of his career (and first since 2023), but it's unlikely that he'll be in line for many additional save opportunities. He may continue to piggyback with Jones while the latter eases up his pitch count.
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Pirates' Jared Jones: Rebounds with five scoreless frames
Rotowire
Jones (1-0) earned the win over Houston on Thursday, allowing four hits and issuing two walks while striking out four batters over five shutout innings.
Jones was roughed up a bit in his season debut May 29, allowing five runs over 4.1 innings against Minnesota. The right-hander fared much better Thursday, limiting the Astros to four hits (two doubles and two singles) while going just deep enough to qualify for the victory. Jones threw 74 pitches after tossing 77 in his previous outing, so he seems to be having his workload managed carefully as he eases back into action following an extended absence due to the UCL surgery he underwent in May of 2025. Jones will look to build upon this performance moving forward, though he's lined up for a tough matchup at home against the Dodgers his next time out.
Horwitz went 3-for-5 in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.
Horwitz's bat remains hot -- he hasn't been held hitless in consecutive games since April 30-May 1. He has gone 13-for-36 (.361) with three extra-base hits over his last nine contests, a span that includes five multi-hit performances. The infielder is now batting .291 with an .852 OPS, seven home runs, 26 RBI, 24 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple and one stolen base. While Horwitz doesn't offer much speed, he gets on base enough (.390 OBP) to be a quality leadoff hitter in the absence of shortstop Konnor Griffin (elbow).
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Reaches 20-steal mark
Rotowire
Cruz went 2-for-3 with two walks, a stolen base and two runs scored in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.
Cruz went 1-for-2 on stolen-base attempts in this contest, with his successful swipe being his 20th of the year. He's logged four of those thefts over his last eight games, going 9-for-27 (.333) at the plate with three home runs, 10 RBI and seven walks in that span. The speedster is now batting .263 with an .816 OPS, 14 home runs, 44 RBI, 45 runs scored and 10 doubles over 60 contests. Cruz is tracking toward a career year despite also leading the majors with 94 strikeouts.
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Pirates' Nick Gonzales: Goes yard Wednesday
Rotowire
Gonzales went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run, a double and an additional RBI in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.
Gonzales has homered twice over his last three games and has seven RBI during a five-game hitting streak. The infielder is known to have a fairly steady bat, though that typically doesn't come with power -- those two recent long balls are all he's hit this season. Gonzales is batting .314 with a .758 OPS, 29 RBI, 31 runs scored, three stolen bases and 10 doubles through 56 contests.
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Pirates' Henry Davis: Slugs grand slam in loss
Rotowire
Davis went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.
Davis gave the Pirates a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning with his slam, which was his third homer over his last seven contests. While he's shown a bit of power recently, he has gone just 4-for-24 (.167) with eight strikeouts during that span. The catcher has lost some time to Endy Rodriguez amid his season-long struggles. Davis is batting a mere .143 with a .533 OPS, five homers, 16 RBI, 13 runs scored, one stolen base and three doubles over 135 plate appearances. Expect Davis and Rodriguez to continue to operate in a timeshare.
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