Chase Burns Takes On His College Coach As Reds Try A Sweep

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Dateline: Cincinnati

Tony Vitello recruited Chase Burns and coached him for two years before he transfered to Wake Forest.

Today the are at the very beginning of their Major League careers facing off at Great American Ball Park.

Vitello will send right hander Landen Roupp to counter the Reds top pick in the 2024 draft.

"I will obviously throw as much at him as I can from the left handed side," Vitello said. Indeed the Giants' lineup has five dedicated left handed hitters in the lineup, plus switch hitting catcher Patrick Bailey. "He has always been a strike throwing, although walks are up a little bit. I think our guys can see it well from him from the left side."

Burns is making his fourth start of the season. Like all of the Reds starters on the third round of the rotation, had a rough start the last time out. The 23-year old gave up five runs in 5 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels his last time out. Prior to that he earned his first career win against the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching five scoreless innings in a 2-0 whitewash. He allowed just one run in six innings, a home run by Joc Pederson, in the Reds 2-1 win over the Texas Rangers.

Roupp is in his third season with the San Francisco Giants. He was the 12th choice of the club in the 2021 draft out of UNC-Wilmington. He is 2-1 in three starts with a 3.24 ERA. He has two quality starts pitching six scoreless innings in his first effort against the San Diego Padres and a six inning stint in which only one run crossed the plate in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles.  In between he suffered a 4 2/3 inning game against the New York Mets, allowing seven runs, five earned, absorbing the loss.

He has the reputation of being a tough competitor.

"He as competitive as anyone we have. We need him to be like the roadblock he was in San Diego," Vitello said.

The Reds will test his competitiveness with:

TJ Friedl CF

Matt McLain 2B

Elly De La Cruz SS

Sal Stewart 1B

Eugenio Suarez DH

Spencer Steer LF

Rece Hinds RF

Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B

P.J. Higgins C

Burns will counter:

Luis Arraez 2B

Willy Adames SS

Rafael Devers 1B

Matt Chapman 3B

Jung Hoo Lee RF

Will Brennan LF

Casey Schmitt DH

Drew Gilbert CF

Patrick Bailey C

Arraez, Devers, Lee, Brennan and Gilbert bat left handed. Bailey is a switch hitter.