NEWS REPORT: Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies – May 19, 2026

After a difficult loss on Monday night, when the bullpen surrendered yet another lead in the late innings, Chase Burns will look to tie the series at one game each against the Phillies and put an end to another Reds losing streak.

First pitch in Philadelphia is scheduled for 6:40 PM EDT.

Here are the lineups.

Cincinnati Reds	Philadelphia Phillies
Matt McLain – 2B	Trea Turner – DH
Elly De La Cruz – SS	Bryce Harper – 1B
Spencer Steer – 1B	Alec Bohm – 3B
Sal Stewart – DH	Brandon Marsh – LF
Dane Myers – CF	Adolis García – RF
JJ Bleday – LF	Bryson Stott – 2B
Blake Dunn – RF	Edmundo Sosa – SS
Tyler Stephenson – C	Justin Crawford – CF
Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B	Rafael Marchán – C

Starting Pitchers

Pitcher	IP	ERA	WHIP	BB	K
Chase Burns	53.0	1.87	1.00	18	55
Jesús Luzardo	49.2	5.07	1.33	13	61
Links: Chase Burn’s Stats | Jesús Luzardo’s Stats

Chase Burns has ended a Reds losing streak in each of his last two starts. On May 9, he delivered six innings of one-run ball against the Houston Astros to halt an eight-game skid, then followed up on May 14 with six innings in a 15-1 blowout of the Washington Nationals to stop a two-game slide. Right now, Burns is clearly the Reds’ top pitcher by a wide margin. His ERA for May is an eye-catching 0.47.

That said, Burns has had difficulty with left-handed hitters. They’ve hit five home runs off him this season, while righties have yet to take him deep. He has also walked 16 lefties, compared to just two right-handed batters. Despite the homers, his slider has remained a reliable out pitch, generating a 50% whiff rate. Out of his 55 total strikeouts, 36 have come on the slider.

Splits

Split	PA	H	2B	3B	HR	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG
RHH	91	11	1	0	1	2%	25%	.124	.143	.169
LHH	116	24	6	0	5	14%	28%	.242	.348	.455

Pitch Usage

	4-Seam	Slider	Change	Curve
Velo	98.0	90.8	89.9	81.9
Usage	56.3%	37.2%	6.4%	0.1%

Left-hander Jesús Luzardo brings significant experience to the Phillies’ rotation, having pitched in the majors since 2019 for three different teams. While his 2026 season has been uneven so far, he’s coming off a strong outing last Thursday, tossing six shutout innings and allowing just four hits against the Boston Red Sox. His year has been a true roller coaster. Notably, Luzardo has fared much better on the road, posting a 1.52 ERA over 23.2 innings, surrendering only four earned runs. At home, however, his ERA jumps to 8.31 across 26.0 innings, with four home runs allowed.

Some bad luck has hurt his numbers, reflected in a .366 BABIP. Despite his high ERA, his FIP sits at a solid 2.93. According to Baseball Savant, he ranks between the 85th and 90th percentiles in chase rate, whiff rate, strikeout rate, and walk rate, and he’s in the top 7% of MLB pitchers at limiting hard contact. Still, his WHIP is 1.33, indicating he continues to allow a fair number of hits given his innings total. Luzardo relies heavily on his sweeper, which he throws 36.7% of the time, generating a 47.6% whiff rate this season. Out of his 61 strikeouts, 33 have come from that pitch alone.

Splits

Split	PA	H	2B	3B	HR	BB%	K%	AVG	OBP	SLG
RHH	166	42	11	0	4	7%	31%	.278	.339	.430
LHH	47	11	1	0	1	4%	21%	.244	.277	.333

Pitch Usage

	Sweeper	4-Seam	Change	2-Seam
Velo	86.2	97.0	86.4	96.1
Usage	36.7%	26.2%	22.1%	15.0%

Game Details:

• Time: 6:40 PM EDT
• Place: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
• TV: Reds MLB Channel; Reds.TV (in-market); MLB.tv (out-of-market)
• Radio: 700 WLW
• Forecast: 95 degrees; mostly sunny; 0% chance of rain

News and Notes: Minor League Updates
Steele Hall, the Reds’ first-round pick in the 2026 draft, is off to a strong start to his pro career in the Arizona Complex League.

Q&A with Derek Johnson
Charlie Goldsmith from Fox 19 recently interviewed Derek Johnson about the Reds’ pitching staff and where it stands right now.

Division Standings

Team	W	L	GB	Fangraph’s Playoff Odds
Chicago	29	19	–	72.3%
Milwaukee	27	18	0.5	66.2%
St. Louis	27	19	1.0	27.3%
Pittsburgh	24	23	4.5	41.8%
Cincinnati	24	24	5.0	7.5%