If this is what life after Hunter Greene looks like at the top of the Cincinnati Reds pitching staff, the Reds rotation might have at least the start of a playoff-caliber staff as they head into 2027 and perhaps beyond without their longtime ace.
One day after the Reds revealed that Greene's damaged elbow required a second career Tommy John surgery, rising ace Chase Burns out-dueled a former Cy Young winner for seven scoreless innings to beat the Miami Marlins 1-0 and – in his first full season in the big leagues – keep pace with the lead pack in this year's National League Cy Young race.
Burns (14-2, 2.47) has a better record and ERA than Philadelphia's Cristopher Sanchez (15-4, 2.54) and is among a top three in the league in pitching WAR that also includes Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski (11-5, 1.76).
The Marlins start marked the second time this season that Burns has gone seven scoreless this season (also in a no-decision, 1-0 loss to the Pirates in May) and it also marked a bounce-back performance after getting tagged for five earned runs and his first loss since April 10 against the Washington Nationals.
He'd won 12 consecutive decisions until then. And the Reds are now 17-6 in his starts. Whatever anyone might think about pitcher wins these days, those win-loss records help tell the story of Burns' season when they come with posting and performing every fifth day and allowing two or fewer runs in 19 of 23 starts.
Against the Marlins, Burns struck out eight, didn't walk a batter and gave up just four singles. He retired 12 straight at one point, matching Marlins zero for Reds zero until Cincinnati finally scored a two-out run against one of the league's hottest starters, Sandy Alcantara, in the sixth.
Alcantara ran his personal scoreless streak to 25 innings until Eugenio Suárez lined a pitch to left in the sixth. An ill-fated dive attempt by Alcantara's left-fielder turned it into a double when it went past him and rolled toward the wall.
Tyler Stephenson was able to score from first.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cy Young then vs. Cy Young now? Burns beats Alcantara in battle of aces