The Cincinnati Reds will look to their young ace in hopes of reversing their two-month swoon when they host the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday in the second contest of a three-game series.
Right-hander Chase Burns (10-1, 2.40 ERA) has emerged as a true stopper for a Cincinnati team that has lost seven of its last nine games. Burns also will be making his first start since earning his first career All-Star nod last week.
The Phillies have yet to announce their pitching plans for Wednesday’s game following a series-opening 4-1 win.
Not only does Burns boast a sensational record and 1.08 WHIP across 17 starts, he also has racked up 116 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .207 batting average.
What makes his 2026 campaign remarkably impressive is his consistency. The hard-throwing hurler leads the majors with 15 outings of allowing two or fewer runs, serving as the ultimate anchor in a Cincinnati rotation that has otherwise dealt with injuries and inconsistency.
After Burns had his streak of allowing two or fewer runs snapped at 12 games in Pittsburgh on June 27, Burns bounced back in his last outing. He yielded two runs on four hits over six innings and earned the win in Cincinnati’s 7-2 victory over Milwaukee last Thursday.
After an up-and-down rookie season in 2025, Burns has focused on preparation and incremental growth.
“I think that’s my personality, just trying to learn every day, trying to get better every day,” Burns said. “It’s a long season, so if you can improve one percent every day then you’re going to be OK.”
Burns allowed one run on three hits and struck out nine batters in six innings of a 4-1 win over Philadelphia on May 19. He is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in two career starters against the Phillies.
The Reds are going to need Burns to be on his game after the offense failed in big moments on Tuesday. The team struck out 18 times.
The lone bright spot was Eugenio Suarez, who homered in the seventh inning for his 198th home run in a Cincinnati uniform, tying him with Hall of Famer Barry Larkin for 11th on the club’s all-time list.
The Phillies also used the long ball on Tuesday, with Kyle Schwarber belting his majors-best 31st homer on a 3-0 fastball from Cincinnati’s Andrew Abbott. It was just his second home run in 14 games.
Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler matched his career high with 14 strikeouts.
“We wanted to jump on Abbott early because he’s got good stuff if you let him settle in,” Schwarber said. “Trea (Turner) did a great job putting us on the board first, and I just looked for a mistake over the plate I could drive. It’s always nice to come back to Ohio and get a hold of one, but the real story tonight was Wheels doing what he does best.”
“Zack was just on another level,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “When he’s dialed in like that, matching his career-best out there, it gives the entire dugout a massive lift. It got a bit testy out there in the eighth with the slide and the delays, but I like the fire our guys showed. We stayed focused on the job, escaped the jam, and got out of there with a great team win.”
–Field Level Media
