Wacha did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Tigers, allowing two runs on seven hits and no walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out five.
The 33-year-old looked sharper in this 89-pitch performance, generating an impressive 14 whiffs while scattering seven singles. The Tigers plated both runs against Wacha in a four-hit fifth inning. Despite not completing six innings in any outing to qualify for a quality start this season, Wacha has been respectable, pitching to a 4.15 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 20:10 K:BB across 26 innings. He is currently scheduled to draw his next start against the Astros at home next weekend.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Fades in loss
Rotowire
Wacha (0-3) took the loss against the Yankees on Tuesday. He allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four across 5.2 innings.
Wacha was in control for most of his outing and entered the sixth inning without having allowed a run. He was lifted after giving up a single and two walks and was tagged with three of the Yankees' four runs after Angel Zerpa followed up a bases-loaded walk by yielding a three-run double to Jasson Dominguez. Wacha has taken the loss in three of his first four starts of the season while registering a 4.35 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 15:10 K:BB across 20.2 innings. The 33-year-old right-hander is slated to face the Tigers on the road this weekend, when he'll look to earn his first win of 2025.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: No-decision vs. Twins
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Wacha did not factor into the decision Thursday against Minnesota, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out four.
Wacha was solid Thursday, holding the Twins to one run on a Ty France homer through five innings before the Royals' bullpen allowed an inherited runner to score after Wacha was pulled in the sixth. While it wasn't an ideal finish, it was a step in the right direction for Wacha, who had lost his first two starts this season, allowing five runs on 10 hits and five walks over 9.2 innings. The veteran right-hander currently lines up for a tough road matchup versus the Yankees in his next outing.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Takes second loss
Rotowire
Wacha (0-2) allowed four earned runs on six hits and a walk while striking out five across 5.2 innings to take the loss Saturday against the Orioles.
Wacha worked through five innings fairly effectively, giving up only two earned runs in the second frame. However, he allowed a pair of hitters to reach base in the sixth inning before being pulled and suffered from an inflated line after both came around to score. Positively, Wacha was much sharper than his first start of the season when he walked four over just four innings.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Struggles with command
Rotowire
Wacha (0-1) yielded a run on four hits and four walks over four innings Sunday, striking out two and taking a loss against Cleveland.
The lone run against Wacha came in the second inning when Carlos Santana knocked a leadoff double and came around to score on Gabriel Arias' sacrifice fly. Wacha worked around a couple of other sticky situations but ultimately needed 87 pitches (52 strikes) to work through four frames. He walked four or more batters just twice out of his 29 regular-season starts in 2024. Wacha will look for better results in his next outing, which is projected to be at home against Baltimore.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Poor numbers this spring
Rotowire
Wacha gave up three runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and one walk in Friday's spring start against the Angels. He has a 12.38 ERA with a 10:3 K:BB in eight innings this spring.
There shouldn't be much worry about Wacha's poor spring numbers since he's a veteran with a secure spot in the rotation. He still has a strong 10 strikeouts in eight innings. Wacha has been a quality source for ERA and WHIP three years running, and he returns to a pretty good situation after re-upping with Kansas City on a multi-year deal.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Inks new deal with Royals
Rotowire
Wacha agreed to a three-year, $51 million contract with the Royals on Sunday that includes a $14 million club option for 2028, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
The right-hander was expected to decline his $16 million player option for 2025, but Kansas City utilized the exclusive five-day negotiating window after the World Series to secure a new deal. Wacha was a key rotation piece for the Royals during their 2024 resurgence with a 3.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 145:45 K:BB over 166.2 innings.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Named Game 4 starter
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Wacha will start Thursday in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Yankees, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Wacha had a rough outing in Game 1 on Saturday, allowing three earned runs on four hits and three walks over four innings en route to a loss. The 33-year-old righty is no stranger to poor postseason performances, as he owns a 5.36 ERA over 42 innings across nine playoff appearances in his career.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Named ALDS Game 1 starter
Rotowire
Wacha will start Saturday in Game 1 of the ALDS versus the Yankees, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Wacha had been lined up for Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series, but with the Royals completing a two-game sweep of the Orioles, the righty will be held back for the ALDS opener. He'll be opposed by Gerrit Cole.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Goes five innings vs. Nats
Rotowire
Wacha didn't factor into the decision Thursday versus Washington, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out two.
Three of the four runs charged to Wacha came on a Luis Garcia homer in the third inning. The veteran right-hander hadn't allowed more than two runs in four starts coming into Thursday, posting a 1.99 ERA in that span (22.2 innings). Wacha will finish a solid campaign with a 13-8 record, 3.35 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 145:45 K:BB across 166.2 innings.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Saddled with eighth loss
Rotowire
Wacha (9-3) took the loss Friday against the Giants, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.
After rattling off back-to-back wins, the 33-year-old fell one out short of his 15th quality start in this 96-pitch outing. The Giants managed only two Heliot Ramos extra-base hits off Wacha, while both runs came on RBI singles. He has allowed two or fewer runs in four straight starts, pitching to a 1.58 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 23:6 K:BB across 22.2 innings. Wacha currently lines up to make his final outing of the regular season at Washington next week.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Fans eight in 13th win
Rotowire
Wacha (13-7) picked up the win in Saturday's 5-1 victory over the Pirates, allowing one run on four hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out eight.
The right-hander got staked to a 1-0 lead before he stepped on the mound and never relinquished it, generating 18 swinging strikes among his 93 pitches. Wacha has gone an impressive 9-1 in 13 starts since the beginning of July, posting a 2.67 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 71:20 K:BB over 77.2 innings during that stretch. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Giants.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Fires seven shutout frames
Rotowire
Wacha (12-7) allowed four hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings Sunday, striking out seven and earning a win over Minnesota.
Wacha escaped some danger in the first inning but didn't allow a runner to reach scoring position for the rest of his outing. He got right back in the win column after taking his first loss in over two months in his last start. Wacha forced 16 whiffs, the second-highest total he's produced this season. Of those 16, 12 came via the changeup. Wacha dropped his season ERA to 3.34 with a 130:40 K:BB through 151 innings. His next outing is projected to be in Pittsburgh.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Picks up first loss since June
Rotowire
Wacha (11-7) allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three over five innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Guardians.
Wacha allowed just one hit through the first four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth, giving up four hits, including a two-run homer to Lane Thomas. Wacha picked up his first loss since June 22, and he went 7-0 with a 2.86 ERA during that 11-start stretch. The 33-year-old remains a steady presence in the middle of the Royals rotation with a 3.50 ERA through 144 innings this season.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Falls apart late in no-decision
Rotowire
Wacha came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's loss to the Guardians, allowing five earned runs on nine hits while striking out seven in six-plus innings. He did not issue a walk.
Wacha allowed just two runs over the first six innings and was on pace to record his sixth consecutive quality start, but a three-run seventh inning soured an otherwise efficient outing. Bo Naylor led off the seventh with a solo home run before back-to-back singles by Steven Kwan and Andres Gimenez chased Wacha from the game. Both of those runners came around to score to give Wacha five earned runs on the night, the most he has allowed since May 4. Wednesday's outing represents a minor blemish in what has been an excellent campaign for the veteran, particularly since the All-Star break. Since the intermission, the 33-year-old is a perfect 5-0 with a 2.90 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 42:11 K:BB in 49.2 innings (eight starts). He is scheduled for a rematch against Cleveland early next week.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Quality start streak at five
Rotowire
Wacha (11-6) picked up the win Friday, giving up two runs on six hits over six innings in a 7-4 victory over the Phillies. He struck out five without walking a batter.
The veteran right-hander was sharp once again, tossing 64 of 94 pitches for strikes en route to his fifth straight quality start and 13th of the season -- his highest total since 2017. Wacha also hasn't been stuck with a loss since June 22, winning seven straight decisions with a 2.40 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 52:17 K:BB over 60 innings since then. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next week in Cleveland.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Cruises to 10th victory
Rotowire
Wacha (10-6) earned the win over Cincinnati on Saturday, allowing four hits and issuing one walk while striking out nine batters over six scoreless innings.
The Royals built a 10-run lead through three frames, so Wacha didn't face much pressure in the contest. Still, he didn't let down his guard, yielding just four hits -- all of which were singles -- while tossing six scoreless frames for his fourth consecutive quality start. Wacha's nine punchouts were a season high, and he reached the double-digit win mark for the fifth time in his 12-year career.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Improves to 9-6
Rotowire
Wacha (9-6) earned the win over St. Louis on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out six batters over seven innings.
Wacha served up a two-run homer to Paul Goldschmidt in the second inning but blanked the Cardinals from that point on. The veteran hurler notched 15 whiffs and tossed 62 of 92 pitches for strikes in the efficient outing, and he finished with his third straight quality start. Wacha has been very consistent for three-plus months, as he hasn't allowed more than three earned runs over his past 14 starts dating back to May 4. He owns a 2.59 ERA and an 8-2 record during that stretch.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Turns in quality start
Rotowire
Wacha did not factor into the decision after allowing two runs on seven hits and four walks over six innings against the Tigers on Sunday. He struck out two batters in the win.
Wacha struggled with his command and threw only 58 of 99 pitches for strikes. The four walks were the second most he's issued in a start this season behind only his May 9 outing against the Angels. Since the beginning of July, Wacha has produced four quality starts in six outings, going 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA in the process. For the year, his ERA sits at 3.55 with a 93:35 K:BB through 20 starts. Wacha's next outing is projected to be at home against the Cardinals.
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Royals' Michael Wacha: Hangs on for eighth win
Rotowire
Wacha (8-6) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up two runs on five hits and two walks over seven innings in a 4-3 victory over the White Sox. He struck out five.
The veteran right-hander delivered his ninth quality start of the season on 89 pitches (57 strikes), but Wacha actually left the mound with the Royals down 2-1 before the offense put up a three spot in the top of the eighth to make him a winner. He incredibly hasn't allowed more than three earned runs in a start since May 4, posting a 2.56 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 60:21 K:BB through 70.1 innings over his last 12 outings despite missing most of June with a foot fracture. Wacha will look to keep rolling in his next start, which is scheduled to come at home early next week against the Red Sox.
