Padres' Michael Wacha: Posts fifth straight quality start
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Wacha did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits over seven innings against the Yankees. He struck out four.
Wacha continued his domination in May, finishing the month with a 3-0 record to go along with a 0.84 ERA and 7.3 K/9 through five starts (32.0 innings), all of which were quality starts. However, his streak of starts without allowing a home run came to an end at four, as Wacha gave up a solo homer to DJ LeMahieu in the seventh. Wacha has flashed an impressive strikeout punch this season, collecting double-digit Ks twice already. He will have another opportunity to put up gaudy punchout numbers in his next projected start, which comes against a Cubs team that strikes out fifth most in MLB.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Possible waiver wire pickups
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Wacha's latest start Sunday makes it a four-start stretch with a combined one earned run allowed, his ERA dropping from 6.75 to 3.58. And sure, skepticism is warranted, but this is the same guy who delivered a 3.32 ERA across 23 starts last year. What stands out most during this latest run of success is just how dominant his changeup has been. It alone is responsible for 20 swinging strikes over his last two starts. It's always been his best pitch, but he hasn't found this much consistency with it since he was first breaking into the league, delivering a 3.21 from 2013 through 2015. He's still outperforming most of his ERA estimators, which is why skepticism is warranted, but the hope now is he can be the sort of overachiever Merrill Kelly was last year.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Tosses six shutout frames
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Wacha (5-1) allowed five hits and a walk over six innings Sunday, striking out four and earning a win over Boston.
Every hit allowed by Wacha was a single and he didn't find himself in much trouble Sunday. After posting an ugly 6.75 ERA in April, the veteran righty has been terrific in May. He's given up just one run through 25 innings this month, lowering his season ERA to 3.58 across 50.1 frames. Wacha's next start is currently lined up to be in New York against the Yankees.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Tuesday's Waiver Wire Targets
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Wacha was one of the standouts of Monday's action, as he carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and ended up allowing just one hit and one walk over seven shutout innings against the Royals. Most impressively, he struck out a career-high 11, racking up 18 swinging strikes on the way. It was a legitimately impressive showing, much more so than his previous two starts, which also had pretty good results. He's doing a good job limiting hard contact and his changeup has been pretty great, but I'm still not sure Wacha needs to be rostered in more than 64% of leagues, which is where he's at now. If you do want to take a flier on him, at least make sure the likes of Eury Perez, Louie Varland, and James Paxton aren't already rostered.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Carries no-hitter into eighth
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Wacha (4-1) earned the win Monday, allowing two baserunners over seven shutout innings in a 4-0 victory over Kansas City. He struck out 11.
A Michael Massey single ended Wacha's no-hit bid in the eighth inning. Wacha's pitch count had risen to a season-high 103, so he was pulled immediately after the first Kansas City hit. The righty was truly dominant, as the 11 strikeouts were a career high. At the end of April, Wacha had a 6.75 ERA. Over the last three starts, Wacha has allowed just one run in 19 innings, lowering his ERA to 4.06.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Sleeper pitchers for Week 8 (May 15-21)
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Michael Wacha has put up a couple crooked stat lines this year, which makes him a risky play in a two-start week. He's coming off back-to-back quality starts, though, allowing a combined five hits between them, so if volume is your thing, you may deem him to be worth that risk.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Start moved to Monday
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Wacha will start Monday's game against the Royals, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Wacha was originally scheduled to face the Dodgers on Sunday, but the right-hander will be moved back to Monday with Ryan Weathers getting the ball in his absence. The Padres are committed to giving their starters extra days of rest whenever possible, and Wacha will gain added rest with his outing moved to Monday against the Royals.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Solid in third win
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Wacha (3-1) earned the win Tuesday, allowing one run on three hits and three walks over six innings in a 6-1 victory over the Twins. He struck out four.
Wacha nabbed his second consecutive quality start Tuesday, holding the Twins to just one run on three hits. Though Wacha went through a rough patch in mid-April where he allowed 15 runs over three starts (13.1 innings), the veteran righty has bounced back with just one run allowed over his last two appearances (12.0 innings). Outside of his poor three-game stretch, Wacha has been quite effective in limiting damage, but considering he has struck out three or fewer batters in four of his seven starts, his fantasy upside should remain capped.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Earns quality start
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Wacha allowed two hits and two walks in six scoreless innings while striking out three in a no-decision versus the Reds on Tuesday.
This was Wacha's second quality start in six outings this season. He threw 60 of 100 pitches for strikes and kept the Reds off the board, but Nick Martinez let a one-run lead slip away in the eighth inning. This was Wacha's third straight no-decision after he opened the year 2-1. He's struggled to a 5.46 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 26:9 K:BB over 31.1 innings in his first year with the Padres. The right-hander is lined up for road starts versus the Twins and Dodgers next week if San Diego keeps its rotation on turn.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Fans five in no-decision
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Wacha allowed three runs on four hits and one walk while striking out five batters over five innings against the Cubs on Wednesday. He did not factor in the decision.
Wacha breezed through three scoreless frames before giving up a pair of runs on a Trey Mancini homer in the fourth. The right-handed hurler yielded another run in the fifth and didn't come out of the dugout for the sixth. Though he wasn't able to notch the win, this was a marked improvement for Wacha in comparison to his previous two starts, during which he gave up a combined 12 earned runs across 8.1 innings. His five punchouts Wednesday were the second-most he has tallied this season, trailing just his 10-strikeout gem against Atlanta on April 8.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Turns in shaky outing
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Wacha did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing five runs on 10 hits and one walk over four innings in a 7-5 victory over Arizona. He struck out three.
Wacha has now allowed 12 runs in his last 8.1 innings pitched. Outside of tossing six scoreless innings against Atlanta on April 8, the right-hander has mostly been ineffective through his first four starts of the season. The Iowa native has plenty of time to turn it around, but he's currently a volatile fantasy option with a 7.08 ERA and 1.72 WHIP.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Slammed for seven runs
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Wacha (2-1) allowed seven runs on 11 hits and a walk over 4.1 innings Friday, striking out three and taking a loss against Milwaukee.
Wacha struggled right out of the gate, coughing up four runs on five hits in the first inning. Christian Yelich and Rowdy Tellez each drilled a solo homer against him. Wacha saw his ERA jump to 6.06 alongside a 15:5 K:BB through 16.1 frames. Aside from a strong start against Atlanta -- six shutout innings with 10 punchouts -- he's allowed 11 runs in his other two outings.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Fans 10 over six scoreless
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Wacha (2-0) struck out 10 over six scoreless innings to earn the victory Saturday in Atlanta. He allowed two hits and one walk.
The right-hander threw 61 of his 95 pitches for strikes and generated 16 whiffs, with just one runner moving beyond first base. Wacha struck out only two batters during his season debut last weekend, but he showed off his swing-and-miss stuff Saturday. Through two starts with the Padres, Wacha has 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB across 12 innings.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Gets win in first SD start
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Wacha (1-0) earned the win Saturday, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks over six innings against the Rockies. He struck out two.
Wacha breezed through the first four innings before allowing a run in the fifth on a fielder's choice off the bat of Ezequiel Tovar. The right-hander then struggled in the sixth while giving up three runs in that frame, including a two-run home run by C.J. Cron. All in all, it was a solid -- if unspectacular -- outing for Wacha in his first start as a member of the Padres. He's scheduled to go again in Atlanta next weekend.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Tosses three frames in spring debut
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Wacha allowed two unearned runs over three innings in a Cactus League contest against Cleveland on Thursday. He yielded three hits and no walks while striking out two batters.
Wacha signed with the Padres in mid-February and took the mound for the first time in a San Diego uniform Thursday. The veteran right-hander gave up a pair of runs in the second inning, but both were unearned because the inning began with his own error. Wacha enjoyed a bounce-back campaign with Boston last season and is expected to serve as the Padres' No. 4 starter in the upcoming campaign.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Deal has three-year player option
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Wacha's one-year, $7.5 million contract with the Padres contains a two-year club option for 2024-25 and a three-year player option for 2024-26.
If the Padres decline their two-year, $32 million club option after the 2023 season, then Wacha has the ability to exercise a three-year, $18.5 million player option. There's also a $500,000 incentive for both 20 and 25 games started and a $1 million incentive for games started in 2023 and all player option years. All told, the deal guarantees Wacha at least $26 million and could be worth up to $41.5 million.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Can earn up to $24 million
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Wacha's new deal has the potential to be worth up to $24 million, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Rosenthal calls the deal "complex," as it contains both player and team options and allows the Padres to protect themselves and lower his AAV for purposes to lower the luxury-tax hit. The right-hander should pitch near the bottom of the San Diego rotation to open the year, but the San Diego offense should give him plenty of chances to pick up wins when he is on the bump in 2023.
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Padres' Michael Wacha: Agrees to terms with Padres
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Wacha is in agreement on a contract with the Padres, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Rosenthal reports the deal can earn him $24 million over four years, but that it's a complicated structure that includes player and teams options. AJ Cassavell of MLB.com notes that with the addition of Wacha, the Padres are likely to implement a six-man rotation at least at the beginning of the season. It would help to ease the burden on Nick Martinez -- who split time between starting and relieving in 2022 -- and Seth Lugo -- who hasn't been used as a regular starter since 2017. Wacha is coming off a nice 2022 season that saw him post a 3.32 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 104:31 K:BB in 127.1 innings across 23 starts.
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Red Sox's Michael Wacha: Allows three homers Sunday
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Wacha (11-2) took the loss Sunday in Toronto, allowing five runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four in four innings.
Wacha was hit hard Sunday, allowing a home run in each of the second, third and fourth innings. The 31-year-old did not give up three homers in any of his first 21 starts this season but was taken deep three times in each of his last two starts. He will be a free agent after the season and has played well enough to likely get a better deal than the one-year, $7 million contract he received for 2022. For the season, he went 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 104:31 K:BB in 127.1 innings across 23 starts.
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Red Sox's Michael Wacha: Walloped by Orioles
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Wacha tossed 3.1 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits while striking out three in Tuesday's 13-9 win over the Orioles. He did not factor into the decision.
Wacha struggled to keep the Orioles off the bases Tuesday, surrendering eight runs and three homers, both of which were season highs. The blowup ended a five-game streak of quality starts for the 31-year-old and raised his ERA from 2.70 to 3.06 on the season. He'll look to return to form in his final start of the 2022 campaign, which is tentatively set to come Sunday versus the Blue Jays.
