On a sweltering Thursday afternoon at Busch Stadium, the Pittsburgh Pirates wrapped up their season series against the St. Louis Cardinals with a tough 4-1 loss, despite a career-best performance from rookie right-hander Braxton Ashcraft. The defeat marked Game #135 for the Pirates and closed the book on their 2025 head-to-head battles with the Cardinals, with Pittsburgh narrowly edging the season series 7-6.
It was a game that started with promise for the Pirates. In the opening frame, Tommy Pham wasted no time electrifying the visiting dugout, launching a towering 440-foot home run to left field. The shot was Pham’s eighth of the season and gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead before many fans had even settled into their seats. The Pirates looked poised to add more, putting two runners in scoring position with just one out, but the Cardinals’ defense dug in and escaped further damage.
"That first inning felt big," Pirates manager Derek Shelton said after the game. "We had a chance to really put pressure on them early, but credit to their pitching staff for working out of a jam."
On the mound, Braxton Ashcraft continued to turn heads in his rookie campaign. Coming off a string of impressive starts, Ashcraft delivered his best yet: 5.2 innings of four-hit, one-run ball, walking just one and striking out five on 73 pitches—52 of them for strikes. It was the longest outing of his young career, and he kept the Cardinals’ bats mostly quiet, save for a hiccup in the third inning.
The only blemish on Ashcraft’s line came when Cardinals catcher Iván Herrera ripped a game-tying RBI double, knotting the score at one apiece. Ashcraft buckled down after that, retiring batter after batter and giving the Pirates every chance to reclaim the lead. Through five starts this season, the rookie right-hander has posted a sparkling 1.23 ERA (three earned runs over 22 innings), allowing just 12 hits, three walks, and racking up 22 strikeouts as a starter. For a Pirates rotation searching for stability, Ashcraft’s emergence has been a welcome revelation.
"Ashcraft’s been outstanding every time out," said Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin. "He’s shown poise beyond his years and continues to attack hitters. That’s all you can ask for from a young pitcher."
But baseball has a way of turning on a dime, and the Pirates’ fortunes shifted in the seventh inning. With the score still tied, reliever Yohan Ramírez took over on the mound. After working out of a jam in the sixth, Ramírez opened the seventh by issuing a leadoff walk to Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn—a mistake that would prove costly.
Thomas Saggese stepped to the plate and promptly laced a go-ahead RBI double, putting the Cardinals in front for the first time all afternoon. Saggese, who finished the game 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored, was named the player of the game for his timely hitting. The Cardinals weren’t done yet. Next up, Jordan Walker crushed a two-run home run, blowing the game open and giving St. Louis a commanding 4-1 lead. The Pirates’ bullpen, which has struggled at times this season, couldn’t stem the tide as the Cardinals seized control in front of their home crowd.
"That inning just got away from us," Ramírez admitted postgame. "I lost command for a bit, and against a team like the Cardinals, that can’t happen."
Despite the late-inning struggles, there were still bright spots for the Pirates. The team extended its streak of games with at least one extra-base hit to 34—their longest such run of the season. While the bats went quiet after Pham’s early blast, the lineup continues to show flashes of the power and potential that have kept Pittsburgh competitive in a challenging NL Central.
"We’ve had our ups and downs, but the guys keep grinding," said Pham. "That streak shows we’re putting good swings on the ball, even if the results aren’t always there."
With the loss, the Pirates fell to 59-76 on the season, while the Cardinals improved to 66-69. The game was broadcast for fans back in Pittsburgh on KDKA AM/FM and Sportsnet-PIT, with local supporters following along as the Bucs tried to close out their series with a win. While the result wasn’t what the Pirates hoped for, they can take solace in having won the season series against their divisional rivals—a small but meaningful victory in a rebuilding year.
"Any time you can take the season series from a team like St. Louis, it’s a positive," Shelton noted. "We’ve got a lot of young guys stepping up, and that bodes well for our future."
The Pirates’ pitching staff, anchored by breakout arms like Ashcraft and the much-heralded Paul Skenes, has been a silver lining amid a season of growing pains. Skenes, who boasts an 8-9 record with a sparkling 2.07 ERA, is scheduled to start the opener of a three-game set at Fenway Park against the Boston Red Sox. As the team heads to Boston, the focus shifts to building on individual successes and continuing to develop young talent for the seasons ahead.
Looking at the bigger picture, the Pirates’ 2025 campaign has been marked by both frustration and promise. The club’s inability to cash in on scoring opportunities haunted them again Thursday, as they stranded runners in scoring position multiple times. Yet, the team’s resilience—evident in their extra-base hit streak and the emergence of new faces on the pitching mound—offers hope for better days ahead.
Fans on Bucs Dugout and other forums have debated the team’s direction, with some calling for more aggressive moves at the trade deadline and others urging patience as the youth movement continues. The front office has signaled a commitment to letting prospects like Ashcraft and Saggese develop at the big-league level, even if that means enduring some growing pains along the way.
As the Pirates prepare for their upcoming series in Boston, all eyes will be on Skenes to see if he can keep the momentum going. The Red Sox have yet to announce their starting pitcher, setting the stage for an intriguing matchup at historic Fenway Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, with Pirates fans hoping for a bounce-back performance and another chapter in the team’s ongoing quest for consistency.
For now, the Pirates leave St. Louis with mixed emotions—a tough loss on the scoreboard, but plenty of reasons for optimism as they look toward the future. With young arms like Ashcraft leading the way and a competitive fire burning in the clubhouse, Pittsburgh’s rebuilding journey continues, one hard-fought game at a time.
