Ryan O’Hearn was ready to return from the injured list sooner than expected, then showed it with his first swing.
Serving as designated hitter, O’Hearn smacked a home run to get the Pittsburgh Pirates going on a day that began with bad news when rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin was placed on the 10-day injured list and right-handed pitcher Carmen on the restricted list.
Braxton Ashcraft was efficient in recording 11 strikeouts without a walk in a quality start, as the Pirates punctuated a three-game series sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 9-3 win Sunday afternoon before 19,358 at PNC Park.
Ashcraft (5-2) became the 12th Pirates pitcher to post at least 11 strikeouts without a walk in the Modern Era (since 1901), the first since Mitch Keller had 13 strikeouts at the Baltimore Orioles on May 14, 2023. Ashcraft allowed five hits, including a two-run home run, and required only 80 pitches (60 strikes) to navigate six innings.
After being placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right quadriceps on May 17, O’Hearn was activated two weeks ahead of schedule. Griffin (right forearm strain) traded places with him, though the Pirates don’t believe it will require a long IL stint.
The Pirates placed Mlodzinski on the restricted list when he told them he wasn’t ready to pitch Sunday after being bumped from the starting rotation to the bullpen earlier in the week when Jared Jones returned.
O’Hearn, who went 2 for 4, started the second inning by sending a 2-2 slider 354 feet and into the right field seats for his eighth home run to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Oneil Cruz drew a walk and advanced to third when Jake Mangum singled to left, then scored on Jared Triolo’s single to right to make it a two-run advantage.
The Pirates padded their lead in the third, when Zebby Matthews (1-3) hit Bryan Reynolds with a pitch and served up a 1-1 slider to Nick Gonzales for a 407-foot shot to center for his first home run of the season to make it 4-0. Gonzales had gone 412 at-bats without a homer, the second-longest drought in MLB behind Chandler Simpson (629).
Ashcraft, meantime, recorded seven strikeouts through the first four innings and didn’t allow a runner past second base.
The Pirates provided the knockout punch in the five-run fifth. Spencer Horwitz hit a leadoff double, then scored on Brandon Lowe’s single to right for a 5-0 lead. Bryan Reynolds drew a walk and both runners advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch.
Mike Paredes replaced Matthews to make his major league debut, only to walk Gonzales to load the bases and Cruz to score Lowe and make it 6-0. Jake Mangum hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Reynolds. After Triolo reached on a catcher’s interference call, Henry Davis lined a two-run single to left to score Gonzales and Cruz for a 9-0 lead.
Alex Jackson led off the sixth with a single and Brooks Lee put the Twins on the scoreboard with two-run home run to right field to cut it to 9-2. Ashcraft rebounded to whiff Kody Clemens and Bell to reach double-digit strikeouts for the first time in his career.
With concerns about managing Ashcraft’s workload – he leads the team with 74 2/3 innings pitched in 12 starts – and Mlodzinski not available, the bullpen was tested. The Pirates promoted righty Cam Sanders from Triple-A Indianapolis, and he replaced Ashcraft to toss a scoreless seventh. Brandan Bidois followed with a clean eighth inning but gave up a solo home run to Lee in the ninth that cut it to 9-3.