Terry Francona Doesn't Hide His Plan for Chase Burns After Gem in Seattle

Chase Burns waited two weeks to pitch again, then made the delay look meaningless.

Making his first start since July 8 and his first since signing a seven-year, $105 million extension, the Reds ace threw five scoreless innings in a 4-2 win over the Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night.

Burns allowed three hits, walked two, and struck out six while improving to 12-1, and Cincinnati has now won seven straight games he has started.

His best moment came in the fourth inning, when he stranded two runners by striking out two hitters and getting a flyout, stomping off the mound with the fire that has become his trademark.

The only debate afterward was why a pitcher rolling that easily came out after 91 pitches.

Terry Francona answered that question.

Burns is in just his second professional season, and the manager intends to protect him.

"I told him there's going to be a day where he goes out and throws two more innings. It's just not now," Francona said.

He praised the outing itself in the same breath. "He competes really well. I didn't think he had his best fastball tonight, but his slider is still such a weapon," Francona said, later adding that the Reds have to keep an eye on the young ace because he loves competing so much.

Burns took the plan in stride.

"Just knocking off some rust. Just getting back in the groove of things. I was excited to get back out there," he said.

The performance justified everything Cincinnati committed when the front office locked him up with the seven-year extension days earlier.

Burns now owns a 2.42 ERA with 124 strikeouts across 19 starts in his first All-Star season.

Elly De La Cruz set the tone immediately with a leadoff homer off Luis Castillo, his 17th of the year, and added a diving stop that turned into a force out at second.

The shortstop has been steady all summer, hitting .280 with 17 home runs and 15 steals entering Wednesday.

"I feel good about my swing. I feel really comfortable at the plate," De La Cruz said afterward.

Eugenio Suarez made the night historic against his former team, launching his 203rd homer as a Red to tie Eric Davis for tenth on the franchise list, a milestone chase that goes back to when he made team history during the Cubs series.

Nathaniel Lowe added insurance in the ninth, and Emilio Pagan finished it for his eighth save.

Rookie Sal Stewart also drove in a run, continuing a summer in which Dave Roberts singled him out at the All-Star Game.

Cincinnati closes the series in Seattle on Wednesday afternoon, so these numbers could shift by the evening.

Whatever the standings say, Burns keeps giving the Reds a reason to believe the future is already here.