Reds Reach Two Day Pitching And Hitting Slump

  Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: Cincinnati

After reaching a brief zenith five games over .500,  the Reds starting pitchers had two sub standard starts by pitchers and continue a drought offensively. Last season the highwater mark was four games over .500.

The Reds had a dramatic win, coming from behind on Tuesday, dropped the final two games of the four-game series in the home of the Miami Marlins.

Brady Singer couldn't put hitters away with two strikes. He gave up some hard hit balls and was also victimized by bloops and bleeders. As an example, following a bloop single by Liam Hicks opened the bottom of the third inning. Singer was on his way to pitch out of the inning by retiring the next two hitters but the son of a former Reds and Marlins player, Griffin Conine, hit a two-run home run to give the Marlins a 6-2 lead. Singer was removed lasting just 2 2/3 innings allowing six runs, five earned on 10 hits but no walks. He struck out three. Singer was also charged with the first two errors committed by the Reds with two bad pick off throws. 

The short outing threatened the health of the Reds bullpen but Sam Moll threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings, Connor Phillips allowed a solo home run but contributed two innings. Pierce Johnson pitched a scoreless frame, saving Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagan.

The Reds most potent offensive threat is rookie Sam Stewart. He hit a two-run home run, his third of the season to cut the lead to 6-4. The Reds attacked capable Marlins' starter Eury Perez in the first inning, capitalizing on an error by third baseman, Graham Pauley on Stewarts ground ball as Elly De La Cruz scored. De La Cruz scored in his eighth straight game.

Eugenio Suarez hit a bloop double to drive Stewart home. The inning could have gotten away from Perez but Matt McLain hit into a double play before De La Cruz walked and stole second base.

Perez gave up six hits and two walks but only four runs. Both first inning runs were unearned. 

The Reds had nine hits and walked four times but only one hit with runners in scoring position.

The series finale was similar although Rhett Lowder pitched into the sixth inning.

He pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing eight hits and two walks. He struck out two. He was charged with five runs but one scored on an error by Eugenio Suarez.  

The Reds put the two batters on base in the first inning.  McLain and De La Cruz singled with one out. Stewart struck out. It was the first of 10 futile at bats with runners in scoring position. Suarez walked to load the bases but Nathaniel Lowe grounded out.

In the bottom of the inning, center fielder Dane Myers made a fine running catch in deep center field and appeared to make another off the bat of Xavier Edwards that popped out o his glove when he landed on his diving attempt. Edwards triple preceded Suarez error.

Lowder appeared to settle in and matched Marlins' starter, Max Meyer over the next two innings. A walk to Hicks and back-to-back doubles by Otto Lopez and Owen Caissie scored two runs. Javier Sanoja singled home the third run of the inning.

Stewart hit his fourth home run of the season and second of the series that was played in his hometown. Meyer left after five innings with Stewart's home run accounting for the only run he allowed. He gave up four hits and three walks. Lowder allowed another double by Caissie and another RBI single by Sanoja before Brock Burke continued to pitch scoreless baseball on the season, adding 2/3 an inning in relief of Lowder.

Jose Franco pitched the final two innings, allowing three runs, two earned on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

The Reds start a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels Friday (041126).

Chase Burns (1-0, 0.82) is scheduled to face Jack Kochanowicz (1-0, 4.66)

Brandon Williamson (1-1, 4.76) vs. George Klassen (0-0, 6.75) on Saturday.

Andrew Abbott (0-1, 3.18) vs. Jose Soriano (3-0, 0.45) on Sunday.

Dueces Wild In Reds Fifth Straight Win

   Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: Cincinnati

The number two kept coming up during the Reds' 6-3 10-inning win over the Miami Marlins on Tuesday night.

The Reds scored two runs in three straight games, all wins.

Fortunately, the Reds enjoyed three straight starts in which the opposition scored two runs or fewer. 

The Marlins scored two runs off Andrew Abbott with two ground outs with runners on third base. Spencer Steer was turned around on a line drive over his head by Augustin Ramirez for a double. Jakob Marsee bunted for a single, then stole second base. Both of them scored.

Rookie Jose Franco made his second career appearance and held the Marlins scoreless for two key innings with two walks and two strike outs.

The Reds went into the ninth inning with just two hits as Sandy Alcantara was two outs away from his second straight complete game shutout after TJ Friedl flied out to start the inning. The second batter of the inning, Matt McLain, the second batter in the inning hit you guessed it a double with two strikes. Elly De La Cruz walked to put two runners on base. McLain and De La Cruz pulled off a double steal. The Reds scored on Sal Stewarts fly ball to mid right center field. De La Cruz advanced to third base on the play. It was the second out of the inning. Eugenio Suarez walked. Will Benson ran for Suarez. De La Cruz took advantage of a 2-1 pitch in the dirt and scored the second and tying run of the game. 

Winning pitcher Emilio Pagan held the Marlins in the ninth inning also, walked two and struck out two.

The Reds went into its second extra inning game of the season. Last season the Reds were 3-12 in extra inning games. The Reds entered the 10th inning with one win in one attempt in extra innings.

Steer started the inning on second base. Stephenson walked. Noelvi Marte struck out. Nathaniel Lowe drove Steer home with a single to left center field. Dane Myers ran for Lowe. Friedl walked to load the bases. McLain came to the plate for the second time in two innings and hit his second double of the game driving in two more runs. De La Cruz grounded out to score Friedl with the fourth run of the inning. 

Graham Ashcraft allowed the ghost runner to score on a fielder's choice. The game ended when Connor Norby hit into, you guessed it a double play. 

NOTE

McLain was charged with the Reds' first error of the season when second base umpire ruled that McLain interfered with Heriberto Hernandez advancing to second base. This morning the scoring was changed, erasing the error by McLain and crediting Hernandez with a stolen base.

The significance of the change is the Reds have not committed an error in the first 11 games.

Reds Designate Christian Encarnacion-Strand For Assigment Jose Trevino On Injured List Reds Select Contract PJ Higgins

  Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: Cincinnati

The Reds appear to cut ties with Christian Encarnacion-Strand, designating him for assignment and selecting the contract of PJ Higgins to take his place on the 40-man roster.

Higgins was also promoted to the 26-man Major League roster when backup catcher, Jose Trevino, was placed on the injured list retroactive to April 5 with thoracic spine strain.

Encarnacion-Strand came to the Reds from the Minnesota Twins along with Spencer Steer for Tyler Mahle on August 2, 2022. He showed tremendous power but had trouble finding a position between third base and first base. This spring Encarnacion-Strand hit .333 with two doubles in six games in Goodyear. With Louisville, CES was hitting .222 in 10 games with a double, triple, two home runs and eight RBI. The Reds have 10 days to release or trade him before putting him on waivers.

Higgins played third base, first base and catcher this spring in Goodyear. His main job with the Reds is to backup Tyler Stephenson. Higgins, was in 23 games, hitting .194 with two home runs and six RBI. So far in Louisville, the 32-year old, hit .083 (1-for-12) in five games. Higgins last appeared in the Major Leagues with the Chicago Cubs in 2022. He has played in 83 big league games, hitting .210 with 11 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 30 RBI.

Trevino was 1-for-11 in three games so far this season.

Terry Francona And Derek Johnson Manages The Reds Pitching

  Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: Cincinnati

The Reds have won four games in a row by scoring just 11 runs.

This time last year the Reds wasted good pitching and were shut out three times in the first seven games.

This year the Reds are scoring just  enough to win and that scoring is minimal. This is spite of the team losing two of its top three starters, Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo.

The Reds got two pitchers back from injury to fill the void. Rhett Lowder, lost all of 2025 due to injury. Brandon Williamson is returning after 15 months of rehab. Chase Burns spent some time on the injured list and had just 21 total starts in his first year in professional baseball, including eight at the Major League level.

While opening starter, Andrew Abbott, is continuing to stymie the oppostition, pitching six scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox.

Lowder has allowed two runs in 11 innings over two starts. Burns won his first game with five scoreless innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates and posted a no-decision when Joc Pederson hit a solo home run in the Reds' 2-1 win in his last start. Williamson allowed six runs in his first start but pitched into the seventh inning against the Miami Marlins on Monday (040526). He allowed no runs on three hits.

Normally, this would allow the bullpen to rest but the lower run margins combined with a watchful eye on the returning starters led to the bullpen being used to nail down victories.

The Reds have had to back off the use of Tony Santillan, who worked in a career-high 80 games last season. The Reds had to back off the use of Emilio Pagan, who was pressed into service with the collapse of Alexis Diaz last season. He pitched in a career-high 70 games. The Reds needed to shy away from Pierce Johnson as well. Johnson pitched in five of the first seven games. Graham Ashcraft appeared in seven of the first nine.

The risk is to burn out the bullpen.

Fans don't want to hear this but if you go aggressively with your bullpen to win one game, you run the risk of losing three or four games down the line.

The Reds are playing .700 baseball because Derek Johnson and Terry Francona has successfully managed the bullpen, using Brock Burke, who earned his first save after 218 games, is critical situations along with Connor Phillips and holding in reserve, long man reliever, Jose Franco for extra innings insurance. Brock struck out the side in the series close against the Texas Rangers and struck out a key hitter with the tying run on base on Monday. It is four strikeouts in a row. That appearnce allowed an extra day off for Phillips and Ashcraft.

Add to the winning baseball, by playing errorless ball for 10 games and improving base running. In the last two games the winning run scored from Elly De La Cruz, taking and extra base on a what seamed to be a harmless single, then scoring on a single. Matt McLain advancing on a wild pitch that barely eluded the catcher and scoring on a ground single through the infield. 

Yes the Reds have mixed in some timely home runs but small ball and attention to fundamentals in addition to wise use of the bullpen have led to the Reds' early success.

Francona's next win will give him possesion of 11th on the all time win list for managers. He tied Darrtown, Ohio native Walt Alston with 2,040 wins.  Joe McCarthy is next on the list. If the Reds win 86 more games or 93 for the season, Francona will be in the top 10 along with Dusty Baker and Sparky Anderson.

Terry Francona Ties Local Hall of Fame Manager

Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: Cincinnati

Terry Francona tied Walt Alston for 11th position on the all-time charts for winning managers with the Reds  2-0 win over the Miami Marlins on Monday (040626).

Darrtown, Ohio has resisted the urban sprawl of the convergence of the Dayton and Cincinnati Ohio that extends into Butler County between the two cities.

Approximately halfway between Butler Counties largest city, Hamilton and Oxford, Ohio the proud home of Miami University, Darrtown still has just 214 residents today.

Walt Alston, the Baseball Hall of  Fame manager of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers for 23 seasons, was born and raised in this small town. He attended Miami University and played baseball and basketball. Alston earned the nickname "Smokey" as a hard throwing right handed pitcher.

Alston played in one game for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1936 in the organization run by Branch Rickey, who chose the "Quiet Man" to be the player-manager for the Nashua Dodgers in the Class B New England league in 1946. One season before Jackie Robinson broke the "color line" with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Alston managed and played with the first integrated team in professional baseball with notable players like Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella, who followed Robinson to the Dodgers. Nashua with diversity in its roster won the New England League title.

Alston toiled in the Dodgers farm system until Chuck Dressen, the successful manager of the Major League Dodgers in Brooklyn demanded that Rickey give him the securtity of a multi-year contract as manager after the 1953 season in which the Dodgers won the National League pennant for the third time in four seasons.

Rickey let Dressen become a free agent and promoted Alston instead. It was the first of 23 years that Alston led the Dodgers on one-year contracts. He held the post when the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles for the 1958 season.

Alston's Dodgers won 90 or more games nine times, won 102 games twice and suffered just four losing seasons. Alston was the winning manager in 2,040 games which ranks 11th all-time. His winning percentage is .558.

Francona is one of 13 managers to win over 2,000 games passing Leo Durocher last season at 2,008. He is the only current manager to win to reach that milestone. 

He joined Sparky Anderson 2,194 and Dusty Baker 2,183 as members of this club who managed the Reds at some point in their career.

"I think the hard thing for me as a manager, I think the way you do it right is to put everyone else first and put yourself last. When people start asking about me that I get a little uncomfortable. I think it is for the right reasons. It's not that I'm not honored. I feel like if I look out for everyone else, my situation will always take care of itself. That's how I've always felt," Francona said.

Former Major League manager Buddy Bell, a teammate of Francona's with the 1987 Reds said, "He has one of the best baseball minds."

Bell made named Francona as his third base coach with the Detroit Tigers in 1996.

Alston won seven National League pennants and four World Series, including the Dodgers' franchise first ever in 1955.

Francona won two World Series, including the Boston Red Sox title in 2004 which was the first since 1918 in the Red Sox history.  He led the, then Cleveland Indians to a World Series in 2016.

Francona began coaching in the Chicago White Sox organizations in 1991. He managed the Sarasota White Sox in 1991 and moved up the line. He was the manager of the Birmingham Barons from 1993-1995 and won the Southern League Manager of the Year in 1993. He managed the Barons when basketball legend, Michael Jordan, tried to forge a career in baseball. 

The Philadelphia Phillies hired Francona to manage them in 1997. He held the job for four seasons. The Phillies had four losing seasons under his leadership. He returned to manage the Boston Red Sox in 2004, promptly winning the World Series. In eight seasons with the Sox he never won fewer than 86 games and won 90 or more games six times. 

He left after the 2011 season and worked at ESPN in 2012, taking over for Manny Acta with the Indians at the end of the 2012 season. Francona was named permanent manager of the Cleveland franchise, an organization that his father, Tito played for, in 2013. With Cleveland which was renamed the Guardians in 2022, Francona completed his 11-year tenure after his lowest win total of 76 games. His only other losing season was in 2021 when the club posted an 80-82 season. Aside from the Covid season of 2020 in which the Indians were 35-25, Francona managed teams that won 90 or more games six times, including 102 games in 2017.

Francona said that he was burned out after the 2023 season and needed a year away from the game. Although he enjoyed the year off he returned to manage the Reds for the 2025 season and led them to the playoffs with an 83-79 record.

Paul Skenes Pitches The Pittsburgh Pirates To A Win Over Andrew Abbott

 Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: Cincinnati

The Reds finally pushed over a run against Cy Young Award winner, Paul Skenes but Oneil Cruz led the Pittsburgh Pirates to an 8-3 win over Andrew Abbott and the Reds.

Andrew Abbott got the first two Pittsburgh Pirates batters out on ground balls to third base. Bryan Reynolds singled and Marcel Ozuna drew walk. Cruz hit his third home run in the last two games to give Paul Skenes and the Pirates three runs to work with.

Nick Yorke and Jared Triolo followed with singles. Yorke took third and Triolo advanced to second on the throw. Abbott stuck out Spencer Horwitz to mitigate the damage.

"He hung a breaking ball to a hitter, who is feeling really good about himself," manager Terry Francona said. "Then he got into a rhythm like he can, which is good. With a guy like Skenes on the mound, you hate to give them anything early. You're going to have to fight for anything you can get."

Skenes came into the game with the Reds with a 4-0 record. The Reds scored one run off Skenes in 29 innings but none in the last 28. He held the Reds scoreless for the first three innings extending the scoreless streak to 31 frames. Elly De La Cruz singled to break the no-hitter, leading off the fourth inning. Nathaniel Lowe doubled to the gap in right center to break the streak.

Abbott retired seven straight and 14 of the last 15 batters until two outs in the sixth. He gave up a single to Cruz and a walk to Yorke, who reached base for the third time. Connor Phillips entered the game to face Triolo, who walked to load the bases. Phillips walked Horwitz to force in the fourth Pittsburgh run. Davis grounded out to end the inning.

"There's been a couple times where he's come in and not found the strike zone right away," Francona said. "As he gets better at that, you'll see him have a lot of success with him pitching late in the game. His stuff is really good."

Abbott finished with 5 2/3 innings, charged with four runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out five.

"I settled down; controlled the counts. I really only made one bad pitch. It got tattooed. It's a credit to him. He still has to hit it," Abbott said. "I was ahead of guys at the end. I was making my pitches. I was locating better. Momentum was all in the middle for us. It was on their side early on. I made an adjustment. I know nine times out of 10 Phillips is going to do his job. It just wasn't that day for him. I know the next time his name is called, he's going to be ready for it."

Skenes finished with five innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks. 

"I trust our hitters," Abbott said. "I know he's a tough guy on the mound. They do their homework. He's a really good arm in this league. He had the jump start getting his pitches across. He made our guys battle in counts. They didn't get a lot of pitches that were mistakes. That's what makes him so good. He doesn't make mistakes. I don't think it was me against him. I had to pitch to their lineup. He had to pitch to ours."

Mason Montgomery started the sixth for Pittsburgh. Sal Stewart walked. Eugenio Suarez hit a pinch hit home run to make it a 4-3 game. It was the 191st home run as a Red for Suarez. He is tied with Brandon Phillips for 12th on the all-time Reds' home run list.

Graham Ashcraft for Cincinnati and Isaac Mattson for Pittsburgh pitched scoreless innings.

Tony Santillan pitched a scoreless inning as did Justin Lawrence to take the game to the ninth inning.

Emilio Pagan pitched the ninth for Cincinnati. Horwitz singled and Pagan hit Davis with a pitch. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Nick Gonzales drove them in with a single and Reynolds hit his second home run of the season to put the Pirates ahead 8-3.

"The wild pitch was huge for us," Francona said. "You don't know how it's going to play out, if he takes that same swing. probably a double play if we're back. You can't play back in that situation."

Reynolds home run was his second of the season and 140th of his career, giving him sole possession on the Pirates All-time home run list.

Reds Get A Look At Paul Skenes But Pittsburgh Pirates Must Face Andrew Abbott

 

 Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: Cincinnati

Reds batters will be challenged by one if not the best pitching talent in baseball, Paul Skenes.

No slouch himself, Andrew Abbott gets to challenge Pittsburgh Pirates hitters.

The outcome will determine who wins this intra divisional series in the National League Central.

Skenes and Abbott are both making their second starts of the season. They have mirror image stories to tell. Abbott did not have a good spring. He pitched in six games in the Arizona Cactus League with poor results. The 26-year old left hander, allowed 23 runs over 17 2/3 innings, yet manager Terry Francona named him the opening day starter. He proved worthy with six scoreless innings against the Boston Red Sox.

Skenes went the other way. He was brilliant in the Grapefruit League in Florida, although it was a smaller sample. The 23-year old right hander pitched in two games. The LSU graduate allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings. His outings were limited due to his participation in the World Baseball Classic for the United States, runner up team. 

Skenes pitched four innings against Mexico and allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings against the Dominican Republic. He had a 1.08 ERA in the WBC and struck out nine batters.

Unlike Abbott Skenes struggled on opening day against the New York Mets. He got only two outs in the game, giving up five runs on four hits and a walk, striking out one batter.

Abbott will face the following lineup:

Jake Mangum RF

Nick Gonzales 2B

Bryan Reynolds LF

Marcel Ozuna DH

Oneil Cruz CF

Nick Yorke 3B

Jared Triolo SS

Spencer Horwitz 1B

Henry Davis C

Skenes will be challenged by:

TJ Friedl CF

Matt McLain 2B

Elly De La Cruz SS

Sal Stewart 1B

Nick Lowe DH

Spencer Steer LF

Will Benson RF

Tyler Stephenson C

Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B

Lowe will be making his first start of the season after making the team as a non-roster invitee.

"We are asking him to pinch hit," Terry Francona said. "If we're going to do that it would be helpful to get him a few at bats."

Oneil Cruz is coming of a 2-for-3 game with two home runs.

Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz both hit their second home run last night. Stewart has was just 1-for-4 last night but had the home run. He has been on base at least twice in all five games so far. He has walked six times and struck out three. Stewart the reigning National League Player of the Week is slashing a phenominal .563/.682/1.125 bringing his on-base-plus slugging to 1.807.

Brandon Williamson Was Roughed Up In His First Start Since 2024

 

 Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: Cincinnati

The Reds' three-game winning streak came to an end when Brandon Williamson had a rough first start since 2024. The Pittsburgh Pirates hit four home runs, two by Oneil Cruz to take an 8-3 win.

Williamson pitched in and out of trouble in the first inning. Jake Mangum singled to open the game and Ryan O'Heart walked but Bryan Reynolds flew out to right. Williamson completed the comeback by striking out Marcle Ozuna and Brandon Lowe.

The Pirates unloaded on Williamson in the second inning. Singles by Nick Gonzales and Cruz with a walk to Joey Bart loaded the bases with no outs. Nick Yorke hit a fly to shallow center that TJ Friedl forcing TJ Friedl to make a sliding catch that allowed Gonzales to score. Ryan O'Hear hit his second home run with two on and Reynolds followed with his first of the season to make it a 5-0 game.

Bubba Chandler struck out four of the first six batters he faced but lost command in the third inning. He walked Noelvi Marte and Jose Trevino to open the third. Ke'Bryan Hayes hit a fly ball between Reynolds in left and Cruz in center. The outfielders ran into each other and no one made the catch. Hayes was credited with an RBI single that was changed to an error by Reynolds. Friedl bunted into a double play. His bunt was picked off in the air by Chandler, who threw out Trevino at second. Matt McLain walked to load the bases but Elly De La Cruz was thrown out after a diving stop by second baseman, Lowe.

Pittsburgh got the run back on Cruz' first home run of the season.

Williamson reached his pitch limit with two outs and the bases empty in the fifth inning. He went 4 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out three. He threw 94 pitches. He missed all of 2025 with reconstructive elbow surgery but had a really good spring. His first big league start didn't resemble his spring but he stuck around long enough to save the Reds' bullpen.

"I left too many heaters over the plate. Hindsight is 20-20. The three-run home run was a dagger," Williamson said. "The solo homers I can live with but the two walks and Cruz hit a two-strike pitch."

"I learned a lot from tonight. I have to come out of the gate ready to go. It took me a few innings to get locked in. After the first two innings I kind of remembered a few things, and realized I can't do that. My arm feels good. I threw better pitches the last two innings. I can build on that," Williamson said. 

Brock Burke took over for Williamson, facing Lowe. Burke was effective in 2 1/3 innings to further preserve the Reds' pen.

With the scoring change, Chandler left the game with the bases loaded and one out in the fifth inning. He walked six and struck out six, throwing 81 pitches in the process. 

Yohan Ramirez struck out McLain and De La Cruz to end the threat.

Jose Trevino singled off Hunter Barco in the seventh for the Reds' first hit. Barco walked Friedl with two outs but struck out McLain to preserve the five-run lead. 

De La Cruz snuck his second home run of the season just inside the right field foul pole. Reigning National League Player of the Week, Sal Stewart, hit his second home run of the season into the first row of the bleachers in right center field. 

Eugenio Suarez stayed alive when home plate umpire Jordan Baker did not check with first base on a checked swing. Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly was ejected from the game. Suarez singled to end the night for Barco. 

Bench coach Kristopher Negron replaced Barco with Dennis Santana with no outs and Suarez on first. Dane Myers greeted Santana with a single that sent Suarez to third and brought Noelvi Marte to the plate representing the tying run. Marte popped out to short. Nathaniel Lowe pinch hit for Trevino. Lowe's soft liner was caught on a diving catch by second baseman Lowe, who turned it into a double play.

"You never want to get doubled off," Terry Francona said. "Once Myers saw it get over the first baseman's head he was thinking third base. It was a great play."

Pierce Johnson started the ninth for the Reds. Gonzales singled for the second time in the game in front of Cruz' second home run of the game.

Closer Gregory Soto had traffic in the ninth inning but Suarez struck out with two men on. The Reds stranded 11 runners.

"I felt like we were on big hit away from getting back in that game but we didn't get that big hit," Terry Francona said. 

Brandon Williamson Makes First Start Since 2024 Faces Pittsburgh Pirates Bubba Chandler

 

 Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: Cincinnati

Brandon Williamson left the mound in Atlanta after 1 1/3 innings and spent a year and a half rehabbing from left elbow reconstruction surgery, known as "Tommy John" surgery.

Tonight after a very successful spring training in Goodyear, Arizona, Williamson will start against the Pittsburgh Pirates in his first Championship Season start since 2024.

The 27-year old left hander appeared in five spring training games an was effective in 16 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on 12 hits and three walks while striking out 15.

For his career, he is 5-5 in 26 starts with a 4.49 ERA. Williamson started twice against the Pirates in 2023 with a 2.70 ERA over 10 innings with no decisions.

Right hander Bubba Chandler will face a Reds lineup for the first time in his career. The 23-year old was the third round pick of the Pirates in the 2021 draft out of North Oconee High School out of Bogart, Georgia.

Chandler made four starts late last season and owns a 4-1 record with a over seven total appearances covering 31 1/3 innings with a 4.02 ERA.

The lineup against Williamson is:

Jake Mangum RF

Ryan O'Hearn 1B

Bryan Reynolds LF

Marcell Ozuna DH

Brandon Lowe 2B

Nick Gonzales SS

Joey Bart C

Oneil Cruz CF

Nick Yorke 3B

The Reds will send the following lineup to challenge Chandler:

TJ Friedl CF

Matt McLain 2B

Elly De La Cruz SS

Sal Stewart 1B

Eugenio Suarez DH

Will Benson LF

Noelvi Marte RF

Jose Trevino C

Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B

Chase Burns And Bullpen Shut Out Pittsburgh Pirates

 

 Also  Follow Reds on https://athlonsports.com/

Dateline: Cincinnati

Chase Burns first start of 2026 was as good as the Reds could hope for, victimizing the Pittsburgh Pirates in a 2-0 win.

The Reds pitching staff broke new ground. It was Burns' first Major League win. Jose Franco's first appearance and Connor Phillips first career save.

The 23-year old, Burns, did not allow a hit until Brandon Lowe, who reached twice on walks, grounded a single through the right side of the infield. The only flaw in Burns' game was three walks. He also issued a pass to Ryan O'Hearn in the fourth to put two on with two outs but one of his seven strikeouts, this one at the expense of Jared Triolo, ended the mild threat.

"I saw the same dominant slider. I've said it a million times, as he works ahead and he will. He'll get better at it. It get very exciting," Francona said. "I thought both starters were electric tonight on both sides."

Burns finished with five full innings with one hit, three walks and seven strike outs.

"It feels good to get my first one. I hope there is many more to come." Burns said. "I am staying smooth. Staying with myself and trying not to do too much. I still had some walks. I still had some bad counts but I will get better as the season goes."

Pittsburgh's starter Braxton Anderson, gave a good account of himself too. He kept the Reds off the scoreboard for three innings, in spite of the Reds putting two runners on in the first inning with two outs.

The Reds posted two runs in the fourth inning. Elly De La Cruz, who walked in the first, singled to open the inning. With National League Player of the Week, Sal Stewart batting, De La Cruz was caught stealing by catcher Henry Davis. Sal Stewart, who singled in the first inning, walked. Eugenio Suarez singled Stewart to third. Spencer Steer's sacrifice fly scored the Reds' rookie. Will Benson tripled into the right field corner to score the huffing Suarez.

"I think Geno pulled every muscle he had," Francona quipped.

Rookie Jose Franco relieved Burns in his first big league appearance. He was greeted by a single by Lowe but Stewart started a 3-6-3 double play. He allowed hits to O'Hearn and Nick Gonzalez after two were out in the seventh. Graham Ashcraft victimized Davis for the third time with a strikeout.

"When Franco comes in and gives us an inning and two thirds, it makes everything reach," Francona said. "We had to be careful because not only do we have three guys down, (Emilio Pagan, Tony Santillan and Pierce Johnson all worked two days in a row.) If we go extra innings you gotta have a pitcher. If any body had a hiccup, we might have been in trouble but they didn't they picked each other up."

"I guarantee Franco had a little heartbeat going but he looked like he belonged out there. He threw strikes for the most part. He did good, handled himself really well. That's what makes it fun. Not only did we not kill our bullpen, we won the game."

Franco was excited when they called up to add innings to the bullpen for an emergency situation just like this. Both Franco and the Reds were rewarded.

"I want to thank the Reds for trusting me," Franco said through interpreter, Tomas Vera. "I was nervous. The moment was huge. Everything was moving, I was super nervous. After that firs pitch I took a breath and I said, 'this is like everywhere else, let's do it.' It was a big night. It was a dream come true. All the work that I put in and the bumps on the road, being here today was huge."

Ashcraft pitched six innings. The Reds managed two runs againstr him on four hits and four walks. Ashcraft struck out three.

The Reds' Ashcraft retired all four batters he faced, three by strikeouts.

Justin Lawrence struck out the side for Pittsburgh in the eighth inning, including Stewart which broke his streak of reaching base seven straight times over the last two games.

Connor Phillips the Reds' hero on Saturday came on in the ninth to attempt his first save. Phillips walked Marcel Ozuna and O'Hearn to start the inning. Triolo struck out. Horwitz flied out routinely to left. Nick Gonzalez dumped a troublesome flair into short right field. Benson and McLain both got to it. McLain gloved it for the out as Benson slid into the second baseman's leg to make the finish a little more dramatic.

"Adversity is for spring training. I was teasing with him after, I said you don't have to walk those guys, but any experience is good experience. He got it done tonight so he'll leave feeling good," Francona said. "The two walks aren't what you're looking for but DJ made a really good trip to the mound and Connor reeled it in. So, that is what you're looking for."