Braxton Ashcraft pitched 6 2/3 innings against the Phillies on Friday, giving up four earned runs and striking out five.

Ashcraft's velocity was up, averaging 97.4 mph today, but he just wasn't finding missed bats against a tough Phillies lineup. He managed swinging strikes on just 10 of 59 swings by Philadelphia, and they pounded his fastball for seven of his 11 hard-hit balls allowed. One of his runs scored came from the bullpen, as Mason Montgomery inherited a runner and immediately allowed Kyle Schwarber to pound a fastball into the seats. All and all, not a terribly disappointing effort against a hot offense. Ashcraft probably still deserves set-it-and-forget-it status against the Cardinals next week.