Chase Burns Earns First MLB Win, Reds Stay Hot With Victory Over Pirates

Last year, the Reds struggled to win games when their offense couldn't score. So far this season, they have two wins scoring three and two runs, respectively.

The second of those wins came Monday night when the Reds blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates 2-0 at Great American Ball Park. The Reds have won three-straight games. Spencer Steer's RBI sacrifice fly and Will Benson's RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth was the difference on a night where the division rivals combined for just eight hits (four apiece).

Chase Burns set the tone on the mound with an electric start that earned him his first Major League win, and the Reds bullpen covered four innings by using three pitchers who all did not pitch on Sunday.

With the win, the Reds are now 3-1 on the season.

Here are our takeaways from Cincinnati's 2-0 win over the Pirates on Monday night at Great American Ball Park:

Chase Burns Sizzles in 2026 Debut, Gets First MLB Win

The Reds' top prospect a year ago, Burns looked stellar in his first start of 2026 against the Pirates in earning the first win of his Major League career. Burns used a combination of high heat with a wicked off-speed slider that still hit 90 miles per hour to keep the Pirates' bats at bay.

In five shutout innings, Burns allowed just one hit, a leadoff single to Pirates first baseman Spencer Horwitz to lead off the top of the fifth. That means he didn't allow a hit through the first four innings, despite walking three batters. Burns offset those three walks with seven strikeouts.

Burns threw 78 pitches in his five shutout innings, with 46 strikes. Throwing strikes is key for Burns. He throws hard, so honing in his command and owning the strike zone is going to be what enables him to be successful on the mound and mow down opposing lineups.

Jose Franco Shines In MLB Debut, Paces Another Great Bullpen Effort

With a lot of Reds' relievers coming off two straight days of work, the opportunity was there for Franco to make his MLB debut and get significant outs Monday night. Franco did just that, getting five outs across the sixth and seventh innings and giving up any walks. He threw 35 pitches (23 strikes) across 1 2/3 innings. Despite giving up leadoff singles in both the sixth and seventh innings, Franco responded by inducing a double-play ground ball and groundout to short in the sixth and consecutive flyouts in the seventh.

Franco led another great effort by the Reds' bullpen, their second straight day shutting out their opponent. Franco, Graham Ashcraft, and Connor Phillips combined for four shutout innings, while allowing just three hits and striking out four Pirates' batters. Franco allowed all three of the hits, and Ashcraft struck out three straight batters across the seventh and eighth innings.

Phillips earned his first Major League save with a gutsy ninth innings. He walked the first two batters he faced, then retired the next three batters in order. In the last three days, he's earned a win and a save.

Six And Seven Hitters Provide The Scoring For Reds' Offense

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the middle of the order set up the Reds' sixth and seventh hitters to dent the scoreboard. Elly De La Cruz led off with a single, his second straight on-base appearance to start the game. Despite getting caught stealing, Sal Stewart walked and Eugenio Suarez singled to move Stewart to third.

That set the stage for Spencer Steer, who had struggled through the first series against Boston to get the Reds on the scoreboard. He did just that, driving a ball deep to right field for an RBI sacrafice fly to hive the Reds a 1-0 lead. With two outs, Will Benson came up and roped an extra-base hit down the right field line that scored Suarez all the way from first. Benson reached third on the relay throw to home for an official scoring of an RBI triple.

When Steer and Benson are producing runs, this lineup is even tougher to pitch against. Monday night, those two hitters provided the difference in the game.

Scoring Summary

Bottom 4th
CIN: Spencer Steer RBI sacrafice fly (Reds lead 1-0)
CIN: Will Benson RBI triple (Reds lead 2-0)

On Deck

The series between the Reds and Pirates continues Tuesday night with the second of three games.

Brandon Williamson will start for the Reds, making his first appearance since late in the 2024 season after missing all of last season for going through Tommy John Surgery. In two seasons, Williamson has a 5-5 record, with all of those decisions coming in 2023. That season, Williamson had a 4.46 ERA with 98 strikeouts and 39 walks. He allowed 111 hits in 117 innings pitched.

For the Pirates, right-hander Bubba Chandler will toe the mound. Chandler pitched in seven games in his first season at the Major League level, with four starts, in 2025. He went 4-1 with a 4.02 ERA, stirking out 31 and walking just four batters. None of his four starts or seven appearances were against the Reds.