The Cincinnati Reds earned an 11-10 win over the San Diego Padres on Thursday in spring training. The final score does not exactly suggest that it was a pitcher's duel by any means, but Reds starter Chase Burns did impress in his 2.1 innings of work. 

Burns, who is competing for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation, struck out five hitters and allowed just one run in his effort. He generated plenty of whiffs, recording 14 swings and misses.

His fastball reached up to the high-90's as well. It may be early in the spring, but Burns appears poised for the regular season. One has to imagine that he can clinch the No. 5 starting rotation spot with one more good outing. 

The 23-year-old is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher. Although his 2025 MLB performance wasn't ideal -- he had a 4.57 ERA across 13 games pitched -- Burns still displayed signs of promise. His average fastball sat at 98.7 mph, which was near the top of the league.

His 35.6 percent strikeout rate gave fans an opportunity to see his high ceiling. Burns is a strikeout pitcher, which he clearly displayed on Thursday. 

The Reds have yet to officially announce their No. 5 starter, but Burns is in a terrific position to land the job.

Scoring told the story of the contest following Burns' departure.

Elly De La Cruz had two hits, including a triple. He added two RBI in an overall impressive performance. De La Cruz is a star, and he seems to be ready for the season.

Tyler Callihan homered in the contest. The young outfielder caught attention with his blast. In fact, his home run was surprisingly Cincinnati's only long ball of the game despite the 11-run outburst.

The Reds' pitching struggled for the most part after Burns exited in the 3rd inning. Will Cannon was able to pick up the save in the 9th inning, however.

With the victory, the Reds improved to 3-2 in spring training. It has been an encouraging spring so far, as many of Cincinnati's young stars are playing at a high level. Sal Stewart and Nick Lodolo led the way on Wednesday, while it was De La Cruz and Burns on Thursday. 

The Reds will next take the field on Friday against the Los Angeles Angels. First pitch is scheduled for 3:05 PM EST.