Bell on Ashcraft: 'One of those nights you can learn from'

CHICAGO -- Until Thursday, the Reds had won six of the seven games that rookie pitcher Graham Ashcraft started this season. This time, however, Ashcraft endured his shortest and worst outing in the big leagues.

Not able to complete three innings, Ashcraft did not pitch well while his defense at times provided poor backup during a 15-7 Reds blowout loss to Chicago -- one of the 26-49 club’s roughest this season. They dropped the final two games of the three-game series while giving up a combined 23 runs in the two losses.

“He just had one of those nights you can learn from,” Reds manager David Bell said of Ashcraft.

Ashcraft lasted 2 1/3 innings and gave up a career-high seven earned runs with seven hits, two walks and one strikeout while throwing 68 pitches. It was a sharp contrast from the eight-inning, 104-pitch performance he gave for a win at San Francisco in his previous start.

“It was more that I was pulling out and then it was just inconsistency of mechanics and release point. I was not able to execute pitches when I needed to and where we needed to,” Ashcraft said. “It was one of those things where I got frustrated with myself and I just didn’t make the adjustment when I needed to.”

Three defensive gaffes -- including one of his own -- doomed Ashcraft as his pitch count jumped upward in a hurry.

“You always want to play as perfect as possible. It’s important,” Bell said.

In the first inning on Ian Happ’s one-out single to center field, Nick Senzel held the ball for an extra moment. Instead of throwing to second base, Senzel made an offline throw to third base as Willson Contreras advanced. That allowed Happ to take second base on the throw.

“Senzel just didn’t get a handle on the ball,” Bell said. “He would have had a play at third, but … if he recognizes that he didn’t get it out of his glove fast enough, it could have kept him on first.”

Next batter Patrick Wisdom chopped a slow grounder to third base that Brandon Drury didn’t glove for a run-scoring error. Ashcraft limited the damage by striking out Nico Hoerner and getting Yan Gomes to fly out but it was a 27-pitch inning.

The Cubs opened the second inning with back-to-back singles before Christopher Morel hit a grounder to first base. Joey Votto made a nice sliding stop near the line but Ashcraft was late covering the bag and Morel was safe with a single that loaded the bases.

“I went through a little moment right there. I just didn’t get over when I needed to right off the bat,” Ashcraft said.

A run scored on Rafael Ortega’s sacrifice fly and with two outs, Ashcraft walked Happ to re-load the bases.

If there was good news, it was that the Cubs generally didn’t make hard contact against Ashcraft. Their average exit velocity was 87.1 mph, according to Statcast. But there was one pitch that did get demolished.

Wisdom got a 1-1 sinker that hung over the plate and slugged a grand slam that cleared the bleachers in left-center field for a 6-0 Cubs lead. The exit velocity was 108.3 mph and traveled an estimated 401 feet.

“Other than that, it was just soft contact in holes and hitting them where we weren’t,” Ashcraft said.

Ashcraft notched only one out in the third inning after hitting the leadoff batter with a pitch. Morel’s RBI single to center field brought the outing to its early conclusion.

“That’s a lot of pitches. At one point he was at 65 without an out in the third. That was danger-zone for me,” Bell said.

The start saw Ashcraft’s ERA jump more than a run from 3.27 to 4.53 in eight starts this season.

Cincinnati is early in a stretch of 14 games over 13 days without a day off. Its already taxed bullpen has been worked hard already after Hunter Greene lasted only four innings with 80 pitches in Wednesday’s loss to the Cubs.

In an effort to preserve some of his arms ahead of a weekend series at home vs. the Braves, Bell turned to right fielder Max Schrock to pitch the bottom of the eighth inning when the Reds trailed, 10-4. Schrock gave up five runs and seven hits, including two homers while facing 10 batters.

“It’s terrible to have to bring a position player in. I hate it, I really do,” Bell said. “That was just what I felt like was best for our team, just given our situation to give us the best chance to win over the next couple games.”