Reds lose to Rockies 3-2 on July 12, 2025, as a costly wild pitch spoils a brilliant 10-strikeout performance from rookie phenom Chase Burns. Recap the drama.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Some nights at Great American Ball Park leave you speechless with excitement. Others leave you shaking your head in frustration. Saturday night was somehow both. The Reds showcased their brilliant future in the form of rookie Chase Burns' electric 10-strikeout performance, only to have the present reality of a struggling bullpen snatch a victory away in a gut-wrenching 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies.
Rookie right-hander Chase Burns delivered his best MLB start, striking out a career-high 10 batters over six innings while allowing just two runs.
Let's start with the spectacular silver lining. Chase Burns, the team's top prospect and the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, was simply untouchable. For six innings, he put on a clinic, fanning a career-high 10 Rockies with a blazing fastball and knee-buckling slider. He allowed just four hits and two runs, proving why the organization sees him as a future ace and a cornerstone of the rotation. His rapid ascent from the farm, which still ranks 11th best in baseball, to a big-league force is the biggest story for the Reds in 2025. Performances like this are what build championship contenders.
While Burns was dealing, the offense fought to find its footing. Noelvi Marte did everything he could, single-handedly powering the lineup by going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a towering solo home run, his fifth of the year. But outside of Marte, the bats were quiet at the worst times. The Reds left runners on base in eight of the nine innings, a frustrating trend that negated their opportunities. The Rockies' game plan was clear: do not let Elly De La Cruz beat you. They intentionally walked him three separate times, including in a crucial seventh-inning situation, daring anyone else to step up. Unfortunately, no one could deliver the decisive blow.
After the Reds clawed back to tie the game 2-2 on a T.J. Friedl groundout in the seventh, the bullpen was tasked with keeping it there. But the recurring nightmare of control issues struck again in the eighth. Reliever Tony Santillan loaded the bases and was just one strike away from escaping the jam. Then came the heartbreaker: a wild pitch that skipped away, allowing the go-ahead run to score from third. It was a brutal way to lose and handed Santillan his third loss of the season, underscoring the team's most glaring weakness.
This one stings. Losing a game on a wild pitch after your top prospect puts on a show is a tough pill to swallow. But as the frustration fades, the takeaway from Saturday should be the electrifying performance of Chase Burns and the continued production from Noelvi Marte. The pieces are there. The future is bright. Now, the Reds just need to clean up the costly mistakes in the present to turn these heartbreaking losses into the thrilling wins they're capable of achieving.
