PITTSBURGH – You knew they weren’t going to win all the close games all year long.
But after the Cincinnati Reds got the team’s start of the year so far from Chase Burns, the late-inning loss in Pittsburgh that gave the Pirates a series sweep made for one of the longest 90-minute flights to Chicago the Reds have ever taken from Pittsburgh.
After back-to-back blowout losses in which the two Reds starters combined for a meager 4 1/3 innings, Burns took a shutout into the eighth inning before allowing his third single of the game – only the second ball put into play against him that hit the outfield grass.
That’s when reliever Tony Santillan entered the scoreless game and quickly got a double play to empty the bases.
But a double by 20-year-old Konnor Griffin off the center-field wall, followed by a walk, set the stage for Oneil Cruz’s single to center to drive home the only run of the day in a 1-0 Pirates win.
The Reds were 12-0 in games decided by two or fewer runs until then.
Now they head to Chicago to face the Cubs for the first time this season in a four-game series featuring the team that owned at least a share of first place in the NL Central for 18 days against the team that supplanted them over the weekend.
Burns’ ability to get into the eighth inning provided an assist for the staff going into that series, if nothing else, given the state of the beleaguered staff that will add Chase Petty from Triple-A Louisville Monday to open the Cubs series in place of the injured Brandon Williamson (shoulder fatigue).
“If we have a chance to win (Monday), it’ll be a lot because of Burns (Sunday),” manager Terry Francona said. “He really picked us up.”
For most of the afternoon, it looked like Burns might avert a Pirates sweep single-handedly.
After giving up an infield single to Cruz on a nubber off the end of the bat to open the first inning, Burns retired 16 straight batters. He allowed only two more base runners before the eighth, striking out seven along the way.
“He pitched his rear end off, man,” Francona said. “He pitched so well on a day we really needed it, for a lot of reasons.
“He pitched like a really good veteran.”
Burns lowered his season ERA to 2.20, good for top-five status in the league.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Chase Burns gem not enough as Reds lose 1-0, get swept by Pirates
Reporting by Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
