It’s pretty much a given at this point whenever Boston Red Sox pitcher Michael Wacha toes the rubber for a start.
The veteran right-hander is going to deliver a strong outing and go at least six innings, something he did again Saturday evening during the Red Sox’s 17-4 romp over the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
Wacha tossed six innings exactly while allowing three runs on six hits to go along with five strikeouts and no walks to register his 11th victory of the season. It was the fourth straight start from Wacha in which he’s gone six frames as he continues to be a model of consistency for the Red Sox.
“I feel that’s our job as a starting pitcher to go out there and try to go as deep as you can into the game,” Wacha told reporters as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “Try to give a couple of those guys a little breather down there in the ‘pen. Just going one start at a time and just focusing on that and not really thinking too much out ahead of it.”
Wacha’s been in top form ever since he returned from the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation in mid-August. Wacha’s won five of his six starts since coming back and yielded two or fewer runs in four of them. The only time Wacha didn’t pitch six complete innings during this stretch is in a previous outing against the Orioles, in which he threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
The 31-year-old didn’t have to be at his best with the Red Sox staking him a four-run lead before he even got to the mound thanks to a grand slam from Rafael Devers. And while it wasn’t flashy, Wacha, who is in his 10th year in the big leagues, just continued to excel at his job like he’s done throughout his first season with the Red Sox.
“He was really good,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters as seen on NESN postgame coverage. “Just the preparation, the way he goes about his business, attacking hitters. He’s always ahead in the count. He doesn’t walk too many people. He lets the defense do their job and like I said before, if you’re a defensive player, it’s fun with guys like that on the mound. The tempo is going to be great and the ball is going to be hit to you. Another good one for him.”
Wacha is now only one win shy of matching the second-highest total of his career, which came in 2017 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
