CINCINNATI -- As he approaches a still-undetermined innings limit for the Reds this season, there are likely going to be starts where Chase Burns could be held to five innings -- even when all is going smoothly. But during an uneven start like he had on Tuesday, the Reds liked seeing Burns push through a rough beginning against the Guardians to make it through five innings at all.
Burns allowed five runs (one earned) over five innings for a no-decision in Cincinnati's 6-5 loss to Cleveland, which was decided by Brayan Rocchio's perfect squeeze bunt in the eighth in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Great American Ball Park.
While throwing 89 pitches (58 strikes), the 23-year-old Burns left with the game in a 5-5 tie when reliever Brock Burke took over for the top of the sixth.
“I didn’t think he had a decent feel for his slider, right from the get-go, even warming up on the mound," manager Terry Francona said of Burns. "To his credit, he reeled it back in, because it looked like he wasn’t going to stay out there very long. On a day like today, getting five was better than getting three.”
Burns has 112 2/3 innings pitched in 2026 after throwing 109 1/3 combined in the Minors and Majors last season -- his first in pro baseball. With the Reds having faded from contention, it's getting harder to envision him finishing the season in the rotation.
For Burns, who lowered his ERA to 2.40 in 20 starts this season while keeping his 12-1 record intact, it was the fourth time all year he gave up more than two runs. It was his second start since the All-Star break and after signing a seven-year, $105 million contract on July 18.
“Stuff wasn’t great today. I just had to go out there and compete with what I had," Burns said.
Turbulence began right away after José Ramírez hit a one-out single to right field in the first. Second baseman Edwin Arroyo flubbed a Chase DeLauter grounder for an error and then, after Burns appeared to get a called third strike on Travis Bazzana, the batter's ABS challenge overturned the call for ball four that loaded the bases.
With two outs and a 2-2 count, Burns threw a ball inside to Kyle Manzardo that he said hit him on the hand. Home-plate umpire Alfonso Márquez agreed and gave Manzardo first base, which forced home a run, until the Reds requested a replay challenge.
The call was overturned and Manzardo returned to the batter's box to finish the plate appearance. But the Reds still didn't get satisfaction, because two pitches later, Manzardo slugged Burns' slider into the right-field seats for a grand slam and a 4-0 Cleveland lead.
“It sucked. Won the challenge and just didn’t execute the [second] pitch," Burns said.
It was the first time Burns gave up a grand slam in his young career and the first time that Manzardo hit one. Batters had been 1-for-9 against him with the bases loaded. And Manzardo was 4-for-26 (.154) with 11 strikeouts entering with the bases loaded.
"It's hard to regroup," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "You get hit in the hand, and then you've got to get back in there. He got a hanger and didn't miss it, so that was huge. We needed that in the worst kind of way."
When Burns finally ended the inning with Angel Martínez looking at a called-third-strike slider, the right-hander had already thrown 33 pitches. All four runs were unearned.
“Just a little adversity. I had to get through it," Burns said. "I don’t want to give up four right there, but after that, it’s kind of, 'Just get through five.'”
Burns bounced back nicely to keep his team in the game while helping preserve the bullpen a little longer. He worked around a pair of singles in the second inning and a leadoff walk to Bazzana was erased in the third when he was caught stealing. A seven-pitch scoreless top of the fourth inning gave Burns 75 pitches and enabled him to return for the fifth inning.
“That’s really big today, because we’re in there now figuring out what we have going into the second game," Francona said.
That gave the Reds an opportunity to mount a comeback. Sal Stewart, who hit a one-out solo home run to center field in the third inning, added a two-run single to left field in a four-run fourth for a 5-4 Reds lead.
However, Burns couldn't hold the lead as Ramírez manufactured his own run after a one-out single in the Cleveland fifth inning. He stole second base, and then third, before scoring the tying run on DeLauter's sacrifice fly.