(Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

The Milwaukee Brewers will try to head into the All-Star break on a high note when they make their first trip to Pittsburgh this season to face the Pirates on Friday night in the first of a three-game series.

The National League Central-leading Brewers will send right-hander Brandon Sproat (3-4, 5.13 ERA) to face Pirates first-time All-Star Braxton Ashcraft (9-3, 3.24) as they try to win for the sixth time in their past seven games.

Ashcraft, who had made only eight major league starts before this season as a rookie in 2025, will aim to continue his breakout campaign and help Pittsburgh rebound following back-to-back losses to the Braves.

The Brewers have won each of the past four times Sproat has pitched. That includes Sproat's most recent outing this past Sunday against Arizona, which was not his most efficient. Sproat, who has never faced the Pirates, threw 92 pitches in four innings, walked three, struck out four and gave up one run on five hits in a 3-2 Milwaukee road win.

'He did battle, but we're not here for triers,' Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. 'You've got to get it done.'

While Milwaukee did get quality starts from most of its rotation during its four wins against the St. Louis Cardinals this week, it could use a better performance from Sproat.

The Brewers continue to find ways to win, even though they entered Thursday's game batting .209 as a team with runners in scoring position over a 17-game stretch, which ranked 28th out of 30 MLB teams.

'We find a way in 'winning time' in those last few innings to push something across,' said Milwaukee designated hitter/outfielder Christian Yelich. 'We manufacture something even though things aren't going our way the last few weeks. You run into those stretches during a baseball season, and you have to find ways to survive them.'

Ashcraft has given the Pirates such length this season, pitching at least six innings in 12 of his 18 starts. He has 122 strikeouts and a 1.098 WHIP over 108 1/3 innings this season. Ashcraft's strikeouts rank ninth in the majors among qualifying starters and fifth in the NL behind Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, the Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo and teammate Paul Skenes.

'He's one of the best pitchers in the game, and I don't really think you can argue that,' Skenes said about Ashcraft. 'All the numbers say that, too. Obviously, he's having a good year. Recognition and going to the All-Star Game is not the end-all, be-all by any means. But he deserves it, and he's not the only one.'

Ashcraft was named an All-Star replacement with Skenes unable to pitch in the Midsummer Classic since he is scheduled to start this Sunday. Pittsburgh is 12-6 this season in games Ashcraft starts, and he has allowed two runs or fewer in 13 of his 18 starts.

'It's cool. It's a really cool opportunity,' Ashcraft said. 'It's cool to be recognized by your peers and the league, to represent the team in that situation. It's surreal. It's something every kid dreams of coming into baseball. Just really cool to be able to live that.'

Ashcraft will make his second career start against Milwaukee. On June 23 of last year, he received a no-decision after allowing one hit over three scoreless innings.

--Field Level Media