WASHINGTON Chase Burns was on the ropes. And deep down in his heart, Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona did not want to throw the towel.The Reds are grooving at the moment and Burns, by far, is the best thing theyve had going all year. On this Saturday, Aug. 8 evening, he was aiming to become the first Reds pitcher in 70 years to win 13 straight decisions.Yet in a tie game in the sixth inning, Burns mislocated three fastballs that resulted in hits for the Washington Nationals, the major leagues highest-scoring offense this season. After a walk and strikeout, Burns needed just one more out to escape with a one-run deficit.In the dugout, Francona stewed. And sighed. And fetched reliever Sam Moll, whod give up a two-run, game-breaking double to pinch-hitter Andrs Chaparro. The Reds would lose consecutive games for the first time since July 11.Yet Saturdays 8-2 defeat at Nationals Park created a win of a different sort: Burns got one start closer to the finish line of his first full season, one in which he hardly takes a back seat to Jacob Misiorowski or Chris Sale or any of the National League pitchers having Cy Young-caliber seasons.The birth of the ace is nearly complete. Even if setbacks are inevitable along the way.The hope was have a nice, good inning, get him through six, tie game, go to our bullpen, said Francona, ruminating on the decisive sixth inning, which Burns started at 72 pitches and a 2-2 tie. And it just ended up being a long inning and he couldnt get through it. And I got uncomfortable. Thats my biggest concern with him right now, at the end of his outing, trying to reach back for more when hes near 100.Thats, to me, where it starts to"Francona paused momentarily, the pitfalls of growing and sustaining a young starting pitcher seemingly caught up in that brief silence.Starts to get a little iffy. I actually think he couldve got out of it. I always feel like that with him. Its just, theres more to balance than the sixth inning of todays game.And thats a responsibility I take very serious.For so many reasons.Chase Burns contract: Reds commit $105 millionIt took Burns exactly a year from his June 25, 2025 major league debut to earn a berth to the All-Star Game. And in the days after rubbing elbows with the games elite, his life would change in a far more drastic fashion.He and the Reds agreed to a seven-year, $105 million contract extension July 18, a significant leap both for pitcher and franchise, the Reds committing nine figures to a right-hander with just a year under his belt.But oh, what a year.Even after his loss at Washington, Burns ranks third in the National League with a 2.61 ERA, and his 13-2 record leads NL starters in both wins and winning percentage. Entering Saturday hed gone 12-0 over 17 starts and allowed two or fewer runs in 17 of his 22 starts, tied for most in the majors.The gaudy statistics come wrapped in whats largely a two-pitch package, a fastball that averages 97.7 mph and a slider he leans on to put hitters away or induce weak contact.Hell show a changeup here and there, but his two moneymaking offerings largely comprise his 32% whiff rate, ranking in the 92nd percentile in the majors.Its very impressive, and also easy enough to get lost in the haze of what The Miz is doing up in Milwaukee, or what Paul Skenes pulled off his first two seasons in Pittsburgh, winning Rookie of the Year and then the 2025 Cy Young Award.Perhaps not for long.People underestimate Chase a little bit, Reds veteran catcher Jose Trevino tells USA TODAY Sports. This dude is prepared. This dude is very strong-willed, strong-minded.He is the aggressor. Hes ready to go at all times.It is all that and more than what the Reds expected when they drafted him second overall out of Wake Forest in 2024, a draft in which the top 15 may rank among the most valuable dozen-plus picks ever.His 2025 baptism was predictably uneven, striking out eight Yankees in five innings of his big league debut, then recording just one out against the Red Sox in his second start. He made six starts and then worked out of the bullpen to keep his innings count low, producing a 4.57 ERA.A solid base to grow on, albeit over just 66 innings between Cincy and three minor league levels. The goal this year: Go pole-to-pole in the big leagues.Its been a grind. But Im loving it, Burns tells USA TODAY Sports. Im loving the growth and process. Im at the most innings Ive ever thrown. Im feeling great.Im excited how far Ive come and how far this teams come.After Saturdays start, Burns is at 124 innings this season, 24 more than he threw in his junior season at Wake Forest. The Reds, though, have been very thoughtful in deploying him.He has worked on the standard four days rest in just seven of his 22 starts. Hes received five days rest before nine of them and six or more six times.The Reds used the All-Star break to give him 13 days between starts, and he responded by giving up just two earned runs over his next three outings.We want to get him to a certain point, Francona said. You dont want to go into next year thinking, 'we need to slow play this.' Theres common sense involved, but I think hes doing fine.You cant expect someone who hasnt done something to know. But hes a very intelligent, very thoughtful kid. Hes aware of where he is. He asks good questions.Digging deeperThere remains no formula for how to best handle young pitchers. Every arm is different, and even the industrys well-established best practices cant produce healthy, let alone ideal, outcomes.Burns was the Reds highest draft pick since 2017, when they used the No. 2 overall pick on two-way prep superstar Hunter Greene. He went the pitching route, and the Reds took great care to limit his innings and build him up as best as possible.Yet two years later, Greene underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer. He did the hard work of getting back to the majors, made the 2023 All-Star team and signed a $53.5 million extension.So little is guaranteed, though. Friday, Reds general manager Nick Krall announced Greene would have elbow surgery next week, perhaps a second Tommy John procedure but at least, odds are, an internal brace procedure.Greene likely wont figure in the Reds rotation plans until 2028. It is Burns, then, whos the undeniable ace and whose competitive spirit evokes love from his teammates and that concern from Francona he may try to do too much.Like any ace in the big leagues, a runner gets on, were trying to win this game, he digs his spikes in a little bit deeper into the ground and gets going, says Trevino. He knows the important thing is winning.And he doesnt like to give up runs.Good thing he doesnt give up many, then. While the Reds are among nine teams within five games of an NL playoff berth, the focus figures to lean more toward 2027 with each week. If all goes well, Burns will enter that campaign as their undisputed ace, with few if any innings limits.And a sense of security that can only come when a club commits a significant sum to his and their future.Im super thankful for the Reds and the organization and the front office to have faith and confidence in me to see me here long term, says Burns. It takes a lot of pressure off me with the money and the other variables.Just being able to forget all the other stuff and build roots here and be a great leader for this team.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chase Burns is pitching like a $105 million man. The Reds aim to keep it that way.