Reds' Chase Burns: Short outing Friday
Burns allowed one hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings in Friday's spring start against the Giants.
At a stage in spring training when most starters are ramping up to four or five innings, Burns was intentionally held back in his fourth Cactus League start Friday. Reds manager Terry Francona discussed the pitcher's usage with Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. "This kid is still working through some of his routines and stuff," Francona said. "And he had a good five days with the trainers working on the flexibility and the mobility. We just want to make sure. He's good to go. It might cost him an inning, but he's OK." Burns' previous outings were marked by falling behind hitters and running into trouble, so his 17 strikes over 24 pitches Friday were a good sign. Francona confirmed that Burns will still be stretched out as a starter going forward, which means he's still in the mix for one of two available rotation spots along with Rhett Lowder and Brandon Williamson.
