CINCINNATI -- Graham Ashcraft seems to have found the magic he had early this season and in his breakout 2022 rookie campaign.

Ashcraft turned in his third straight quality start on Friday, a six-inning, one-run gem. He went toe-to-toe with All-Star and 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes (13 K’s over six innings) in the Reds’ 1-0 loss to the Brewers at Great American Ball Park to kick off the second half.

“Graham absolutely went out and matched [Burnes] and gave us every opportunity to win that game,” manager David Bell said. “To do that against Burnes when he's pitching like that, that's very impressive. Graham's really shown the last few times out [that] he's been really gaining his confidence back and getting back to who he is when he's successful.”

The right-hander started the season with a 2.00 ERA in his first six starts between April 2 and May 2, pitching at least six innings in five of those and never allowing more than two runs. On May 7, he allowed eight runs, beginning a stretch of eight starts in which he allowed a 12.82 ERA.

Now, Ashcraft is back to throwing like the pitcher he was at the start of the season. Not only are his mechanics and rhythm back in shape, but in some ways, he feels better than he did in April.

“I was able to find that rhythm of my arm and my mechanics, and things started to clean up and started to pound the zone a lot more,” Ashcraft said. "Just making sure that the arm and the movement of the body is all synced up like it's been. So that's really what we've been getting after when we go in the bullpen, and it's been paying off.”

When Ashcraft handed the ball to Bell with two on and no outs in the top of the seventh inning, he walked off the field to an ovation from the Reds’ seventh sellout crowd of the season. Lucas Sims entered the game and, after allowing a couple of baserunners and the Brewers’ lone run, escaped a bases-loaded jam.

“[Ashcraft] was just attacking the zone a little bit more today and getting ahead of the hitters,” Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames said. “I feel like when you do that as a pitcher, you have the advantage in that at-bat. You have to give credit to the pitcher when they do that. Today [he had] a great game until we put a little bit of pressure on him.”

Ashcraft’s emergence as a quality starter has come at the right time for the Reds in more ways than one. With starters Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene on the IL and their returns still weeks away, Ashcraft has stepped up to lead the rotation. On June 29, the Reds had the third-worst rotation ERA (5.92) in the Majors, in part because of Ashcraft’s struggles. But since his June 30 start in which he allowed one run in 6 2/3 innings, the rotation has had a collective 3.72 ERA despite missing their top two starters.

That turnaround from the rotation has been key as the offense slowly comes down from a high. After finishing the first half with the fifth-most runs per game (4.99) in baseball, the offense was shut out by the Brewers for the second straight game. Including the first-half finale in Milwaukee, the Reds have now been handed back-to-back 1-0 losses in a tight division race.

“We're pitching really, really well,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “That's a lineup that's been scoring a ton of runs, so to put two shutouts on the board against them, all the more credit to our pitchers.”

With the Reds and Brewers tied atop the National League Central and the Trade Deadline approaching, Ashcraft and the rotation continuing to produce will be as important as ever.

“We believe in the people that we have in our clubhouse,” Bell said. “And that's easy to do with the people that we have, the players that we have, the pitchers that we have. There's no other way to approach it.”