Chase Burns Starts Sunday in Pittsburgh for Reds

chase burns gets the ball Sunday in Pittsburgh as the Cincinnati Reds try to salvage a game against the Pirates. First pitch is set for 1:35 PM ET, and the assignment comes after the Reds were beaten hard in the first two games of the series.

Burns Gets the Call

The Reds turned to Burns after Brady Singer and Rhett Lowder both worked short starts in the first two games. That left Cincinnati needing a cleaner outing from its next starter, and Burns was the choice to take that responsibility against a Pittsburgh club that had already done major damage.

Reds Need Length Early

Cincinnati wanted Burns to find the strike zone early and often. It also needed him to work deep enough to spare the bullpen another heavy day after the first two starts came up short.

That is the immediate strain in this game: the Reds are not just trying to stop a two-game slide, they are trying to avoid asking the relief staff to absorb another long afternoon. Burns’ command and pitch count will shape whether Cincinnati can change that script.

Pittsburgh Pressure Continues

The Pirates had unloaded on the Reds across the first two games of the series, and the short outings from Singer and Lowder left Cincinnati without the kind of length it needed. Burns now carries the job of giving the Reds a steadier start and a chance to reset the series before the bullpen is forced into extended duty again.