SAN FRANCISCO – After the Cincinnati Reds completed a winless homestand, as owners of the worst record in the National League, Graham Ashcraft offered a glimmer of hope for the future.
Ashcraft, a 24-year-old right-hander, put together arguably the best start of his young career and lifted the Reds to a 4-2 victory in their series opener against the San Francisco Giants on Friday. He permitted two runs across eight innings and struck out a career-high eight batters.
The dominant performance snapped the Reds’ seven-game losing streak. The Reds have a 24-46 record, the second-worst start through 70 games in franchise history. The 1934 team, which finished with 99 losses, had the worst start at 23-46-1.
Ashcraft, facing the Giants for the second time this season, has been content inducing weak contact. His 100-mph cutter, slider and sinker produce a ton of groundballs. That was his formula when he faced the Giants on May 27 and he gave up four hits across 6 1/3 shutout innings in his second Major League start.
The version of Ashcraft in spacious Oracle Park was more reminiscent of the one who dominated in the minor leagues. He overpowered hitters with his cutter. In the seventh inning, he struck out Brandon Belt with four consecutive cutters and Brandon Crawford whiffed on two of the cutters he saw.
Ashcraft gave the Reds everything they could’ve wanted, especially with a struggling bullpen. He didn’t issue any walks. He retired 15 of 16 batters before giving up a run in the eighth inning as his pitch count rose above 100.
It was a high-wire act in the eighth inning after he surrendered back-to-back groundball singles to open the frame. As reliever Joel Kuhnel began warming up, Ashcraft induced a comebacker to the mound to start a double play. The Giants added a run through a bloop single and Ashcraft’s last out came on a flyout to the warning track, but he was greeted by a long line of high-fives in the dugout.
The Reds gave Ashcraft a two-run lead in the second inning on a pair of RBI doubles from Mike Moustakas and Nick Senzel. An out at the plate ended the chance for a bigger rally when Senzel tried to score from second base on a slow roller to shortstop, thrown out by Belt, the first baseman.
Senzel made up for it in the fifth inning when he manufactured a run. He reached on a catcher’s interference in a two-strike count. It was the sixth time he’s drawn a catcher’s interference this season and the 12th time in his career.
After moving to second base on a walk, Senzel swiped third base with such a big jump that catcher Curt Casali didn’t even bother with a throw. The Giants moved their infielders onto the infield grass, and Senzel used his speed to score on a fielder’s choice ground ball to shortstop Brandon Crawford on the next pitch, eliciting an off-target throw. Senzel jumped up with his arms extended to signal safe as he hopped to the dugout.
In the sixth inning, it was Senzel again. After Moustakas lined a double into the left-field corner, Senzel lofted an RBI single into left field for a 4-1 lead.
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