Pirates Blanked for Ninth Time; Braxton Ashcraft Has Strong Debut vs. Diamondbacks

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May 26, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates, Bryan Reynolds
FILE - Pittsburgh Pirates' Bryan Reynolds during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, in New York. Pittsburgh's first workout for pitchers and catchers was Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, but for outfielders like Reynolds it's not until Monday. Reynolds said nothing has really changed since he made his trade request prior to the winter meetings.(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prosect Braxton Ashcraft made his MLB debut in their 5-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Memorial Day.

How We Got There

The Diamondbacks (27-27) scored twice in the second inning — one on a Tim Tawa sacrifice fly and the other on Ketel Marte’s RBI single.

Eugenio Suárez hit a solo home run off Andrew Heaney in the third and Josh Naylor turned on a fastball up out of the zone for a two-run home run the following inning.

Heaney (3-4) last five innings before giving way to Ashcraft, who threw 3.0-scoreless innings in his MLB debut for the Pirates (19-36). The right-hander allowed a pair of hits, walked one and struck out Tim Tawa, the first batter he faced.

Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson and four relievers combined to shut out the Pirates.

Key Moment

The Pirates loaded the bases with nobody out against Scott McGough but came up empty after Arizona went to flame-thrower Justin Martinez.

Star of the Game

Ryne Nelson (2-1) blanked the Pirates across 6.2 innings pitched, his longest outing since throwing 6.2 innings against the Giants last season on Sep. 3.

Notable Performances

  • Andrew Heaney: 5.0 innings, eight hits, five runs, three runs, two strikeouts, 74 pitches/50 strikes
  • Braxton Ashcraft: 3.o innings, two hits, no runs, one walk, one strikeout, 50 pitches/32 strikes
  • Alexander Canario 2 for 4
  • Adam Frazier 2 for 4
  • Oneil Cruz 1 for 3, one double, one walk

Stat to Know

Adam Frazier recorded his fourth multi-hit game in his last six games played. He’s batting .500 (11 for 22) during that stretch.

Noteworthy

  • This was the Pirates ninth shutout-loss this season.
    The Pirates recalled RHP Braxton Ashcraft from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned RHP Isaac Mattson.

Up Next

RHP Mike Burrows (0-1, 7.20 ERA) will make his second-career start for the Pirates on Tuesday night. RHP Corbin Burnes (3-2, 2.73 ERA) will be on the mound for the Diamondbacks. First pitch 9:40 p.m. ET.

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