Chase Burns threw seven shutout innings for the Cincinnati Reds in a 1-0 win over the visiting Miami Marlins in the opener of their three-game series on Friday evening.
Burns (14-2) allowed four hits, struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter for the third time this season. The right-hander avoided losing two in a row after winning 12 straight decisions.
Brock Burke struck out the side in the eighth for the Reds, and Emilio Pagan pitched the ninth for his 15th save.
Miami starter Sandy Alcantara (13-7) came in with a 20-inning shutout streak and stretched it to 25 before surrendering the lone run in the sixth. The 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner allowed three hits, struck out two and walked four over seven innings.
Alcantara didn’t allow his second hit of the game until JJ Bleday singled to right with one out in the sixth. Tyler Stephenson grounded into a fielder’s choice, but Eugenio Suarez delivered a two-out double to center, scoring Stephenson from first and giving the Reds a 1-0 lead.
Burns gave up one-out singles in the first and second innings and then retired 12 in a row, including striking out the side in the fifth inning, before Graham Pauley singled with one out in the sixth.
Miami put its leadoff batter on base for the first time in the seventh when Otto Lopez led off with a single to left and stole second, but Burns struck out the next two batters and then got Javier Sanoja to ground out to end the inning.
Alcantara walked back-to-back batters with one out in the third, but didn’t surrender his first hit until Michael Toglia doubled with two outs in the fourth. Alcantara got Dane Myers to line out to right to end the inning.
The Reds stranded the bases loaded in the eighth and left nine runners on base overall.
