PITTSBURGH -- A lot of things have come easily for Reds rookie Chase Burns in his first professional season. Getting his first Major League win has not been one of those things.
More important in the 2025 big picture, the Reds need as many wins as possible down the stretch to have a shot at the postseason. Therefore, squandering a six-inning, 10-strikeout performance from Burns late in a 3-2 defeat to the Pirates was a particularly tough kick to the teeth for Cincinnati on Friday at PNC Park.
“He’s smart enough to know that if he just pitches the way he can pitch, the wins will come," manager Terry Francona said. "I’m not worried about him. I’d love to see him get a win. That means we won.”
After taking the first two games of the road trip vs. the Cubs, the Reds (60-57) have lost three in a row. They are 3.5 games behind the Mets for the final National League Wild Card spot.
In Burns' eighth big league start (and 22nd as a pro), he gave up one earned run and three hits with one walk and notched 10 strikeouts for the fourth time in his last five outings. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the 22-year-old joined Fernando Valenzuela (1981) and Bob Feller (1936) as the only Major Leaguers since 1893 with 10 or more K's in four of their first eight career starts.
“I feel like I’m learning every time I go out there. I’m just trying to put the team in a situation to win," Burns said.
Limited to only 18 pitches in one inning vs. the Braves last time out during Saturday's rain-suspended Speedway Classic in Tennessee, Burns showed no ill effects from the misfortune dealt to him and the Reds.
“I just kept the same routine," Burns said.
Burns opened the night with a 27-pitch first inning but worked around a walk with three strikeouts. He had retired eight of nine for a stretch heading into the fourth inning.
"I found myself walking up to the railing a few times to watch him, which I usually don't do when I'm pitching. He's got great stuff," Pirates starter Mitch Keller said. "His fastball is electric, and when he gets that slider down and in, it's pretty much unhittable. You can see why [the Reds] are so excited about him."
Burns opened the bottom of the fourth inning by allowing back-to-back doubles, including Oneil Cruz's RBI two-base hit to left field that scored Bryan Reynolds to make it a 1-1 game.
After that, Burns shut Pittsburgh's hitters down by retiring his final nine batters in a row -- including four by strikeout. The final batter he faced, Cruz, looked at a 99.7 mph strike three fastball to end the sixth inning on Burns' 97th pitch.
"I thought his last pitch was every bit as good as his first. I thought that was a really big step for him," Francona said.
In his eight starts for Cincinnati, Burns -- the second overall selection in the 2024 Draft -- is 0-3 with a 5.24 ERA. Over his 34 1/3 innings, he has allowed just 13 walks while striking out 57.
Burns needed more run support from an offense that has scored just three runs combined over their last three games. They had the bases loaded with no outs vs. Keller in the second inning and managed only one run when Jake Fraley grounded into a double play at second base. In the fourth inning on a Tyler Stephenson double to right-center field, Miguel Andujar was thrown out at the plate on a perfect relay.
The Reds mounted a two-out rally against Keller in the top of the sixth with a double to left field by Gavin Lux and a four-pitch walk by Andujar. Reliever Dauri Moreta took over and gave up Stephenson's RBI double to right field that scored Lux and put Burns in line for a win.
After Graham Ashcraft worked a perfect seventh inning, a one-out walk issued in the eighth inning by Tony Santillan opened the door to trouble. Tommy Pham's two-out single rolled into center field and set up for Reynolds to hit a two-run triple down the right field line. The ball kicked off the side wall away from Noelvi Marte.
The Reds are 1-4 at PNC Park this season, and now must win the next two games to split the series.
“We had some opportunities to spread it out where a mistake doesn’t cost you the game," Francona said. "You’ve heard me say that probably a number of times. Walk, 0-2 hit and the ball just was perfectly hit. We’re playing no doubles and it hits the carom. So kind of the perfect storm.”