Michael

Wacha

Wacha surrendered a solo homer to Mookie Betts in the second inning. He settled in to fire four more scoreless innings before the Dodgers got to him for two more runs in the seventh on three hits. Wacha would depart with two outs in the seventh at 96 pitches. He struck out five. The 35-year-old right-hander will take a 3.46 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 117/41 K/BB ratio across 150 2/3 innings into a start against the Athletics in Sacramento on Monday.

Wacha also issued three free passes on the evening while recording only one strikeout. The lone tally against him came on a long solo shot off the bat of Royce Lewis in the fifth inning. Aside from that though, Wacha was exceptional. He got four swings and misses on 94 offerings in the ballgame, posting a CSW of only 16 percent. He’ll tote a tidy 3.44 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and a 112/41 K/BB ratio (144 innings) into a tough matchup against the Dodgers in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Wacha put together a fantastic start in Coors Field after a lengthy weather delay. He leaned on his trusted changeup as his primary pitch and it forced 13 of his 17 total swings-and-misses. That’s tied for the most whiffs he’s induced in any outing this season and showed the might of a quality changeup in extreme altitude. He’s put together a solid season to this point with a 3.51 ERA, 111 strikeouts, and 38 walks through 138 1/3 innings. If he remains with the Royals through the trade deadline, his next would come against the Twins at home.

Wacha couldn’t solve Tigers rookie Hao-Yu Lee, who accounted for all of the damage against him with an RBI double in the second inning before taking him deep for a solo shot two frames later. He delivered a mostly clean sheet otherwise, limiting Detroit to just a pair of runs into the late innings. He finished with three strikeouts and only issued two walks. The 35-year-old veteran boasts a solid 3.60 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 104/38 K/BB ratio across 132 1/3 innings this season. He’ll face off against the Rockies in a challenging matchup at Coors Field on Friday.

Wacha gave up three hits, walked two and struck out five. He was in line for the win before Alex Lange blew the save in the ninth inning. Wacha bounced back from allowing 10 runs combined in his previous two starts before the All-Star break. He has a 3.66 ERA. Wacha is lined up to face the Tigers on the road this weekend.

Wacha had allowed just one run before a disastrous fifth inning. On the day, the right-hander had three walks, five strikeouts, and a 10 percent swinging strike rate. He was able to throw strikes with his four-seamer and cutter, but he struggled to get whiffs with anything outside of his changeup. He’ll carry a 3.77 ERA into a surprise All-Star appearance this weekend.

Wacha as an All-Star makes a lot of sense if maybe he’s Kansas City’s only representative, but Bobby Witt Jr. is the team’s starting shortstop. Wacha is going to his second All-Star Game anyway, though there seemed to be better picks available. He’s 5-6 with a 3.45 ERA ahead of his final start of the first half against the Mets.

Wacha was brilliant against the White Sox on Saturday, holding them scoreless over his first six innings of work. Chicago would finally break through with a run on two hits and a groundout in the seventh. Wacha returned for the eighth and recorded the first two outs before allowing two runners to reach. That would end his day at 105 pitches (70 strikes). He struck out seven. The 34-year-old right-hander will take a 3.31 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and an 84/30 K/BB ratio across 108 2/3 innings into a start against the Phillies in Kansas City next Saturday.

Wacha finished with five strikeouts and only handed out one free pass. A run-scoring double to deep left field from Yandy Díaz with two outs in the fifth inning represented the lone tally against him in this one. The 34-year-old veteran has put together back-to-back quality starts to rebound after three consecutive rough outings. He’ll wrap up a two-start week with a road matchup against the upstart White Sox on Saturday.

Wacha struck out three and walked one while throwing 72 percent of his pitches for strikes. The 34-year-old had an 11 percent swinging strike rate and 32 percent CSW while riding his changeup against a left-handed heavy lineup. Against righties, he elevated his four-seamer well for swinging strikes and continues to put together solid starts en route to a 3.64 ERA on the season. He’s a low upside option against the Rays next week.