Chase Burns helped the Reds snap their losing streak on Saturday.
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Houston Astros 3-1 on Saturday, snapping an eight-game losing streak. It was a big victory without question as the Reds are hoping to get back on track. Chase Burns, who has emerged as the ace with Hunter Greene out due to injury, turned in a strong performance. The right-handed pitcher allowed only one run across six innings of work. He only had two strikeouts and he did walk three batters, but Burns still came through for a ball club that needed a good pitching performance.
After the ball game, Reds manager Terry Francona commented on Burns' effort, via Charlie Goldsmith.
"Like a lot of good pitchers, he kind of has the ability to be his own reliever," Francona said. "I'm not saying — he doesn't have a lot of Major League starts — but I used to say that about (Justin) Verlander all the time. He had another great. He showed it."
Burns, 23, is establishing himself as one of the better pitchers in baseball. He now holds a stellar 2.11 ERA across eight outings. He also has 48 strikeouts in 47 innings on the mound.
The best pitchers in the game are able to find success even when they do not have their best stuff on the mound. That is exactly what we saw from Burns on Saturday. As mentioned, he did not have the strikeout pitch going, but Burns still placed his team in a tremendous position to win the game.
Reds Defeat Astros on Saturday
Cincinnati was one of the better teams in MLB to begin the season. They have struggled in recent action, but Saturday's win was a huge step in the right direction.
The Reds' bullpen performed well following Burns' departure. They did not allow any runs in three innings of work. It was an all-around strong pitching performance for Cincinnati.
Offensively, the Reds managed to score three runs on five hits. It was far from their best effort of the season, but they did enough to help the ball club win the game.
Cincinnati now holds a 21-19 record. They could certainly contend this season, but the team is in last place in the National League Central standings at the moment. The Reds are 6.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs for first place in the division.
Cincinnati and Houston are now tied 1-1 in their three-game series, as the Astros earned a 10-0 win on Friday night. The Reds will host the Astros once again on Sunday afternoon in the final game of the series.
First pitch for the contest is scheduled for 1:40 PM EST.