Bats Go Quiet Again as Reds Fall to Angels

You know it's a bad night when a position player pitches. No offense to P.J. Higgins, but it's usually not a good night when a game reaches that point.

Higgins pitched a scoreless ninth, a perfect ninth actually, and recorded one strikeout. That was the positive. The rest of the game was not, as the Reds fell to the Los Angeles Angels 10-2 Friday night at Great American Ball Park. It's the third straight loss for the Reds, who are now 8-6 on the season.

The Angels scored five runs in the eighth inning to extend a 5-1 lead to 10-1, and they held the Reds to just four hits. Four of the Angels' five runs in the eighth came on a grand slam by Jorge Soler.

Let's look at some of the other takeaways from the Reds' 10-2 loss to the Angels Fridat night.

Chase Burns Struggles Throughout

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns (26) throws a pitch in the first inning of the MLB Interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Angels at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Friday, April 10, 2026. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Burns lasted 5 1/3 innings, but it was a very rocky start for the Reds' second-year right-hander. He allowed five earned runs and seven hits, walking five to just four strikeouts. Only 57 of his 92 pitches were for strikes.

There are going to be starts like this for Burns throughout his career. The key for him is continuing to bounce back if he has starts like this. Burns gave the Reds innings on Friday night, which was good. He battled, but he certainly wasn't at his best or the level he was at through his first two starts this season.

How Burns bounces back from this start will be telling in the remainder of April.

Reds' Offense Quiet All Night

Mar 26, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds third baseman Ke'bryan Hayes (3) bats against the Boston Red Sox in the third inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Other than a TJ Friedl RBI groundout and an Elly De La Cruz home run, the Reds' offense got nothing going against the Angels' pitching. Cincinnati only had four hits, and two of them came in the eighth inning.

For a team that struggles with runners in scoring position, the Reds only had four such chances Friday night. They went 0-4 with seven runners left on base. Angels right-hander Jack Kochanowicz went seven strong innings and allowed one run on two hits. While he did walk four batters, he also limited the damage throughout his start.

On Deck

The series between the Reds and Angels continues Saturday afternoon with the second of three games.

Reds' left-hander Brandon Williamson will look to build on his seven-inning shutout win in Miami this week, and he'll face Angels' right-handed pitcher George Klassen. It's Klassen's second career start and first on the road.

First pitch is at 4:10 E.T. on Reds.TV and 700WLW.