Chase Burns was set to start for the Cincinnati Reds on Friday, April 10, as they opened a series against the Los Angeles Angels in Cincinnati. The Reds came in at 8-5, and the matchup pointed to a familiar edge for the home side: a young starter in Burns against an Angels lineup that has struggled against right-handed pitching.
Burns had allowed opponents to hit.154 through his first two games, with a.213 wOBA and a.77 ISO allowed. He also led all of today's starters with a 37.2 K%, a 42% whiff rate and a 20.6% swinging strike rate, numbers that help explain why the pitching matchup tilted toward Cincinnati. Jack Kochanowicz was set to start for Los Angeles.
The broader numbers also leaned the Reds' way. The Angels ranked 22nd in wOBA against right-handed pitching and 27th in line drive rate against righties, while Cincinnati sat 28th in wOBA against right-handed pitching. That weakness on offense made the game look like a battle of starting pitching more than a hitter's night, especially with the Angels' right-handed-heavy group and names such as Zach Neto, Mike Trout and Jorge Soler in the lineup mix.
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There was one caution flag for anyone expecting a quick run of offense: the Reds had hit the Game Total Under in 29 of their last 50 home games. Even so, the setup pointed the other way, and Todd Cordell's view was blunt: expect Burns and the Reds to take care of business against the Angels tonight.
That is what made Friday matter. In a matchup built around two starters, the Reds had the better form, the better surface numbers and the home-field lean, and they entered the opener looking likely to defend it with a win.