The Reds invested heavily in their rotation by using first-round picks on pitchers out of Wake Forest in 2023 and 2024. Burns and Lowder are living up to the hype, and they were the stars of the Reds\u2019 series sweep in Texas as they delivered standout performances.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a ton of fun,\u201d Lowder said. \u201cWe keep pushing each other to be better. I don\u2019t think that will stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
They have very different approaches. Burns is one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the sport and uses a wicked slider to generate swings and misses. Lowder mixes four pitches, forces weak contact and uses great command.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Together, they\u2019re a big part of the Reds\u2019 plan to win now and in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Cincinnati Reds’ Will Benson reacts after hitting a single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Monday, April 6, 2026, in Miami.<\/p>\n
Lynne Sladky – AP<\/p>\n
\u201cFor them to be here and be a part of this, there\u2019s so much for them to learn,\u201d catcher Tyler Stephenson said. \u201cLook at where they were when they were first called up to where they are now. It\u2019s not a finished product. It\u2019ll be exciting when they are because they\u2019re already really talented.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Reds have also invested time, energy and resources into improving the team\u2019s defense. The Reds didn\u2019t have an error through their first nine games this season, which is the first time that has happened in the history of the franchise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s huge,\u201d TJ Friedl said. \u201cThat\u2019s our identity. Making the tough plays and letting our pitching do all of the work.\u201d<\/p>\n
The defense as a whole looks better. Friedl is playing more left field, which is a stronger position for him than center field. Dane Myers has given the Reds an impact defensive center fielder on the bench. Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes is one of the best defenders in baseball. Elly De La Cruz is improved at shortstop, and Matt McLain is more confident at second base this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some of the biggest moments from the Reds this season have come on defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s another example of how the Reds are a more well-rounded team this year than they were last year. That added depth has also shown up in the bullpen with Connor Phillips and Brock Burke recording saves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really helps a ballclub when you win and everybody contributes,\u201d Terry Francona said. \u201cThose other guys, they stepped up. It\u2019ll help us down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Cincinnati Reds’ Sal Stewart is out at third during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Monday, April 6, 2026, in Miami.<\/p>\n
Lynne Sladky – AP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI \u2014 The Cincinnati Reds are finding ways to win games in 2026 that they weren\u2019t able to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":667661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2400],"tags":[5,535,50,4259,4,536,185],"class_list":{"0":"post-667660","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cincinnati-reds","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-cincinnati","10":"tag-cincinnati-reds","11":"tag-cincinnatireds","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-reds","14":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116361566216643419","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=667660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/667661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=667660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=667660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=667660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}