Former No. 2 overall draft picks duel as Reds, Rangers wrap series

The future may be now for Cincinnati Reds right-hander Chase Burns.

The 23-year-old took a no-hitter into the fifth inning in his first start of the season before giving up one hit, walking three and striking out seven in a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday. It was his first major league win after going 0-3 in 13 appearances last season.

Burns (1-0, 0.00 ERA) threw 78 pitches and will take the mound again Sunday when the Reds try to sweep the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas.

"I have said probably a million times, if he works ahead, and he will get better at it, it gets very exciting," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "Our plan this spring was to get him in position to make these starts. We want him to make every start and pitch a lot. His future is bright, but I think the present will be OK, too."

Burns, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, has never faced the Rangers.

The Reds are struggling at the plate, hitting only .203 as a team, but Sal Stewart is off a great start with a .407 average.

He had an RBI single in the Reds' two-run first inning Saturday. It turned out to be the hit of the game as Cincinnati was shut out from then on.

Stewart's fast start is needed as stars Elly De La Cruz (.219) and Eugenio Suarez (.226) are struggling. Both have struck out 13 times.

Suarez does lead the team with six RBIs and Cruz leads the team with three home runs but has driven in only four runs.

The Rangers are hitting .243 as a team, but Texas has some key starters who are languishing.

No. 2 hitter Wyatt Langford is hitting .167 with 10 strikeouts, adding three on Saturday.

Josh Jung is hitting .143 and Joc Pederson is 0-for-14 after an 0-for-4 Saturday.

After Jake Burger walked to lead off the ninth inning, Pederson hit into a double play.

"We just couldn't get anything together after a couple of hits or a walk or whatever," Rangers manager Skip Schumaker said. "We just couldn't string anything together."

Schumaker isn't too worried about his young sluggers, especially Langford.

"It is a 162-game schedule," he said. "I told him those balls will start falling. It is frustrating to hit the ball hard and not get anything for it, but he will be all right."

Evan Carter is hitting .273 and Schumaker is looking to play the left-handed hitter more against left-handed pitching.

"I gotta give him a chance against lefties and see how it goes," Schumaker said. "He will get his chances and he will get better."

The Rangers will send right-hander Jack Leiter to the mound Sunday.

The 25-year-old is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA after beating the Baltimore Orioles 5-2 in his first start. He allowed two earned runs in five innings and struck out eight.

Schumaker was impressed by what he saw in that outing from Leiter, who was the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2021.

"The changeup was elite," Schumaker said after the game. "Righty, lefty didn't really matter. It just seemed like a carryover from his last start last year. And I think this is who he's going to be. You are going to see more of this version of Jack throughout the year."

Leiter is 1-0 against the Reds with a 0.00 ERA after beating Cincinnati in his only career start against them last April. He allowed one hit over five innings.

--Field Level Media