Miz looks to keep rolling against Burns, Reds in matchup of budding aces

MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski and the Reds’ Chase Burns will go pitch for pitch for the first time in the Major Leagues on Thursday at American Family Field, a matchup we nearly saw a year and a half ago under very different circumstances.

The two were supposed to start opposite each other in a Spring Breakout prospect showcase between the Brewers and Reds in March 2025, but Cincinnati made a change and Burns didn’t pitch that day. Misiorowski pitched, but he had a forgettable game: 1 2/3 innings, three hits, three earned runs, one walk, four strikeouts, a wild pitch, a balk and a pitch timer violation.

A lot has changed for both right-handers since then.

Misiorowski, 24, goes into Thursday’s matinee as MLB’s leader in ERA (1.45), strikeouts (146), WHIP (0.77) and average against (.144), and he is coming off a start against the Cubs in which he touched 105.5 mph, breaking his own record for a starting pitcher since pitch tracking began in 2008. There’s only one pitcher who has thrown harder since then, and both outings came as a reliever. Aroldis Chapman has pitches on record at 105.8 mph in 2010 and 105.7 mph in ‘16.

Burns is a budding ace in his own right. He goes into Thursday 9-1 with a 2.36 ERA through 16 starts. The 23-year-old Reds standout was riding a stretch of 12 starts in which he went 8-0 with a 1.69 ERA before allowing five runs on a season-high nine hits last time out against the Pirates on Saturday.

“You kind of grow out of being a prospect, but it still feels the same,” Misiorowski said. “It’s cool to match up against guys like that.”

“It’s gonna be fun,” Burns told the Cincinnati Enquirer about the matchup. “He’s good, so I’m pumped.”

The pitchers are not alone.

This is the kind of matchup that excites everyone, including the coaches.

“I think it just shows you where the game is going,” Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook said. “It’s young players, and the game not only needs them to step up and develop quicker, but also it shows you they can. That’s the cool part. That has to be exciting for fans, to see a guy develop that quick. That goes for [Burns], too.

“It’s just a small microcosm of where the game is now. Guys are getting here quicker. They may have some bumps in the road, but when they’re elite talents like those two guys are, you’re going to see exciting things.”