There's plenty for Cincinnati Reds fans to be excited about, especially right-handed pitcher Chase Burns. The 2024 No. 2 overall MLB Draft pick is proving his worth, as he's 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA over five starts this season.
Burns allowed two runs on four hits over 5.2 innings in Tuesday's 12-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder also tallied eight strikeouts against two walks, and the only runs he allowed came on Jonathan Aranda's two-run homer in the sixth. That made the score 9-2 in favor of Cincinnati at the time.
Burns' hot start to the year was much-needed, as he went 0-3 with a 4.57 ERA over 13 outings (eight starts) last season. The Reds fast-tracked the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon's minor-league journey, as he made just 13 starts across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A last year, notching a 7-3 record with a 1.77 ERA. However, his big-league struggles showed that he still had a long way to go before reaching his potential.
Burns' 2026 performance thus far is a step in the right direction. The Tennessee native has allowed two runs or fewer in four of his five starts and has two quality starts thus far. He also leads the squad in ERA and strikeouts (30).
Burns is partially why Cincinnati ranks ninth in MLB with a 3.47 ERA and leads the NL Central at 16-8. When its offense complements its pitching as it has recently, the squad is tough to beat.
Cincinnati hit five homers in Tampa Bay on Tuesday, starting with star shortstop Elly De La Cruz's two-run shot in the top of the first. Third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes and center fielder Dane Myers then hit back-to-back solo shots in the second before left fielder Spencer Steer did the same in the fifth.
Second baseman Matt McLain followed up with an RBI double in the sixth before De La Cruz and first baseman Sal Stewart hit an RBI single and a two-run single in the same frame, respectively. De La Cruz then hit an RBI single in the seventh before Stewart hit a sacrifice fly in the same frame.
Finally, De La Cruz hit a 406-foot solo homer to left center in the ninth, giving him eight on the season. The 24-year-old is tied with Stewart and several other MLB players for third on this season's home run list. Meanwhile, Stewart is tied for first with 24 RBIs and is third with a 1.026 OPS.
Up next for the Reds is a rematch with the Rays on Wednesday before returning home to host the Detroit Tigers and Colorado Rockies. Southpaw pitcher Brandon Williamson will start for Cincinnati against right-hander Nick Martinez on Wednesday, with the first pitch at 1:10 p.m. ET.