The Battle for the Ohio Cup resumes Monday night as the Cincinnati Reds host the Cleveland Guardians in the opener of a three-game series.
Cleveland captured the final two games of the three-game set the Guardians hosted in mid-May. The Guardians can re-capture the Ohio Cup if they can duplicate that feat on the road.
The Reds return home feeling good about their recent play after a 5-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in 10 innings on Sunday. The win capped off a strong 6-3 road trip coming out of the All-Star break, giving the club three consecutive road series victories.
The Reds will look to their ace to continue their modest momentum in their return home. Right-hander Chase Burns (12-1, 2.42 ERA) takes the hill for Cincinnati for the second time since signing a seven-year, $105 million extension and for the second time since skipping the All-Star Game due to a tweaked groin.
Set to make his 20th start of the season, Burns has racked up 124 strikeouts over 107 2/3 innings while limiting opponents to a meager .204 batting average. Relying primarily on an elite 98-mph four-seam fastball paired with a devastating 91-mph slider, the 23-year old All-Star has surrendered two earned runs or fewer in 16 of his 19 outings this year.
Last Tuesday in Seattle, he earned a 4-2 win, laboring a bit while throwing 91 pitches over five innings. But still he held the Mariners scoreless and earned his 11th consecutive winning decision, the longest such streak by a Reds pitcher since Tom Browning and John Franco each won 11 straight in 1985.
“I told him there’s going to be a day where he goes out and throws two more innings. It’s just not now,” Reds manager Terry Francona said of pulling Burns after just five innings. “He competes really well. I didn’t think he had his best fastball, but his slider is still such a weapon.”
Burns took the decision in stride.
“Just knocking off some rust. Just getting back in the groove of things,” Burns said. “I was excited to get back out there. I didn’t get to pitch in the All-Star Game, so I was hungry to get back out there.”
In Sunday’s win in St. Louis, solo home runs from Elly De La Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes kept Cincinnati close, but it was the 10th-inning heroics that secured the rubber match. All-Star rookie Sal Stewart delivered a clutch, go-ahead pinch-hit single to split the tie before Nathaniel Lowe broke the game open with a two-run single.
Cincinnati’s super utility man Spencer Steer left Sunday’s game in the fifth inning with right wrist pain after taking an awkward swing. X-rays were negative.
The Cleveland Guardians are looking to turn things around after a tough weekend in Florida. The Guardians were shut out 1-0 by the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, completing a three-game sweep and extending their losing streak to five games. Despite a stellar performance from starter Parker Messick, who allowed just one run over 7 2/3 innings, the offense was stifled, managing only one hit.
“He was unbelievable,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said of Messick, as the team struggled to find offensive momentum, scoring only three runs over the weekend series.
Cleveland will counter Burns with right-hander Slade Cecconi (4-7, 4.60), making his 21st start of 2026 and sixth career start against Cincinnati. Cecconi is 0-3 with a 4.05 ERA lifetime against the Reds, allowing 12 runs and 22 hits in 26 2/3 innings.
–Field Level Media
