PITTSBURGH – The calendar reads September, which means the Pittsburgh Pirates are already looking towards next season.

The Pirates are limping to the finish line in what’s been another disappointing year, but Saturday night served as a small sliver of hope heading into 2026.

Rookie pitchers Bubba Chandler and Braxton Ashcraft combined to throw eight innings of one-hit ball in a 2-0 win over the Athletics at PNC Park on Saturday night.

Chandler fired five-excellent innings and allowed just two baserunners – a double in the second and a hit by pitch in the third – and struck out six innings.

“Yeah, he established the fastball early, triple-digits, up to 101-plus. I think what stood out to me was his slider, and how he’s able to throw it for a strike and get swing and miss off it as well,” said manager Don Kelly. “When you mix that with the lead fastball, he was really good.” 

Ashcraft followed by throwing three-perfect innings and striking out six of the nine batters he faced to help guide the Pirates to only their second win over their last 14 games.

“Gosh, that was nasty,” Chandler said of Ashcraft. “The swings they were taking on that guy, they were lost and it’s fun to see as pitchers and Braxton, he’s been doing it all year. It’s really fun to watch and be a part of. He’s great.”

Chandler and Ashcraft are two of three rookie pitchers who will be in the mix to secure a spot in the team’s starting rotation next season. Mike Burrows, who will start the 2025 home finale on Sunday, is another who has made a strong impression. 

All three started the year with Triple-A Indianapolis and have bounced between starting and relieving in the early stages of their careers in Pittsburgh. But no matter the role, all three have proven they can be effective.

“I think everybody takes it with open arms,” Ashcraft said on going back and forth between starting and relieving. “I’ve tried to, and I think I’ve done a good job of that. Obviously, I wanna start, I think I’ve proven that I can do that. Mike has too and Bubba has…That’s our goal, but at the end of the day, the bigger piece of that is capitalizing on opportunities wherever you get those.”

In addition to the trio of rookie pitchers, there are a handful of others in a rotation that has been effective this season who will factor into the team’s 2026 plans.

Paul Skenes looks to be on his way to winning the National League Cy Young after winning the Rookie of the Year in 2024. Mitch Keller is signed for three more seasons. Johan Oviedo returned from Tommy John surgery and a lat issue and is 2-0 with a 3.52 ERA in seven starts. Jared Jones should be back at some point too. 

As bad as the Pirates have been this season, the pitching has been strong.

“I think the group of young pitchers that have come up throughout the season and debuted and either gotten starts or pitched in bulk, that’s mostly been encouraging,” general manager Ben Cherington said when speaking with the media prior to Saturday’s game. “I think when we look at the pitching side, we can see the foundation of a good staff next year.”

Anybody in baseball will tell you there’s no such thing as too much starting pitching depth. As of now, it looks like the Pirates will have competition to fill out the rest of their rotation behind Skenes and Keller, if the latter is not traded in the offseason. 

The unselfishness the pitchers have shown this season in regards to role will be beneficial when that competition takes place come spring. The pitching staff is a tight-knit group, it’s evident in the clubhouse and pregame, when everyone goes out to watch that day’s starter in the bullpen.

Although possible additions and subtractions could alter how the group looks five months from now when pitchers and catchers report, the wealth of pitching the Pirates have built will make for a compelling storyline to follow.

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily internal competition as much as it is rooting for the guy beside you,” Ashcraft explained. “I think that all of us really and truly want what’s best for each other. I think when you see somebody else succeed, it does light a fire underneath you because you wanna succeed as well.”