Cincinnati Reds Show Off Pitching Depth in Sweep of Texas Rangers

The Reds improved to 6-3 on the season with a 2-1 victory on Sunday.

Apr 5, 2026; Arlington, Texas, USA; Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Brock Burke (49) pitches against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

With Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan, and Emilio Pagan all unavailable on Sunday, the Reds showed off their pitching depth in a big way.

Chase Burns started on Sunday and tossed six phenomenal innings, giving up just one run on five hits. He walked a batter, struck out nine, and threw 59 of his 87 pitches for strikes. Out of his 47 swings, he generated 21 swings and misses.

The former first-round draft pick felt very confident.

"A lot," Burns said. "Year two being on a big league field more and learning from the other guys. I am just going out there and trusting my stuff, really. Everything felt on time and I threw some really good pitches. Felt great."

Burns left the game with a runner on first in the seventh, but Pierce Johnson and Sam Moll combined to strand the runner.

Burns said it felt great that Terry Francona trusted him to go back out for the seventh inning.

“It’s like building confidence, Tito having trust in me to go out there to set the tone for that seventh inning. It didn’t work out, but I’m glad we came out on top," he said.

Connor Phillips gave up a hit and walked a batter, but worked a scoreless eighth inning. In the ninth, with Santillan, Ashcraft, and Pagan unavailable, Reds manager Terry Francona turned to Brock Burke for the ninth inning against Burke's former squad. He delivered, striking out the side for his first career save.

"It feels pretty special," Burke told Jim Day after the game. "Especially doing it against a team that I was with not too long ago. It was awesome."

Francona praised the effort from the pitching staff.

"It really helps the ball club when we win and everybody contributes," he said. "I mean, I agree it's nice when Santillan, Ashcraft, and Pagan are available, but those other guys, they stepped up and it'll help us down the road."

You can watch Francona's full postgame press conference below:

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