Pirates suffer first shutout loss of 2026 to Reds, wasting Braxton Ashcraft's strong start

Colin Beazley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Mar 30, 2026

Published in Baseball

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CINCINNATI — The Pittsburgh Pirates were shut out for the first time in 2026 on Monday night at Great American Ball Park, falling, 2-0, to the Cincinnati Reds.

It’s a too-familiar sight for the Pirates, as they were shut out a major league-high 16 times in 2025.

Four Reds combined on a four-hitter: starter Chase Burns, Juan Franco, Graham Ashcraft and Connor Phillips. Franco, making his major league debut, allowed three hits in 1 2/3 innings in relief.

The Pirates combined to strike out 11 times.

It wasted a strong season debut from starter Braxton Ashcraft. He set two career-highs, completing six innings for the first time in his major league career and throwing 87 pitches, the most he’s thrown as a big leaguer. He allowed two earned runs on four hits, but also tied a career-high with four walks. He struck out three.

He only ran into trouble in the fourth, an inning that would have been worse if not for Henry Davis. Ashcraft allowed a single to Elly De La Cruz, who was thrown out by Davis trying to steal second base. Ashcraft then walked red-hot Sal Stewart, allowed a single to Eugenio Suarez that brought Stewart to third, then recorded his second out on Spencer Steer’s sacrifice fly. Will Benson tripled down the right field line, scoring Suarez from first, before Tyler Stephenson’s hard-hit groundout ended the inning.

It was a positive season debut for Ashcraft. He gave the Pirates length and prevented runs, even on a day where his command wasn’t at his best. Of his 87 pitches, 52 were strikes.

It was over when …

The Pirates brought the go-ahead run to the plate against Phillips in the ninth after Marcell Ozuna and Ryan O’Hearn led off the inning with consecutive walks, but Jared Triolo struck out, Spencer Horwitz flew out and Nick Gonzales’ shallow liner was caught by a sliding Matt McLain in right field.

On the mound

Isaac Mattson and Justin Lawrence pitched well in relief of Ashcraft. Mattson walked former Pirate Ke’Bryan Hayes but worked around it, while Lawrence faced 3-4-5 of the Reds’ lineup in the eighth and struck out the side.

At the plate

The Pirates had nine baserunners. Offseason acquisitions Brandon Lowe and O’Hearn combined for six of those.

Both Lowe and O’Hearn went 1 for 2 with two walks. Their teammates combined to go 2 for 25 with 10 strikeouts.

Most valuable player

Burns blanked the Pirates, holding them hitless until Horwitz’s single to lead off the fifth inning. The single was Horwitz’s first of the season.

Up next

The Pirates and Reds continue their three-game series at 6:40 p.m. ET Tuesday. Bubba Chandler will make his first start of the season for the Pirates against Reds left-hander Brandon Williamson.

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