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Michael Wacha impressed on Saturday night, as he struck out Atlanta Braves batters ten times in six innings. Wacha (2-0), on his 95 pitches, allowed only two hits and one walk as he largely contributed to the San Diego Padres winning 4-1 at Truist Park in Atlanta.
He spent the first seven seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals before moving to different teams in the last three years. He had a solid 2022 with the Boston Red Sox, with an 11-2 record and a 3.32 ERA in 23 starts. He was brought in by the Padres for a $26 million contract over four years to bolster the backend of a rotation that faded towards the end of the regular season last year.
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The 31-year-old had a solid outing against the Braves, as his win earned him the rare distinction of having a win against every team in the National League. Initially, against the Braves, he was mildly troubled by having to stick out his arm to save a grounded ball from Ronald Acuna Jr.
That was the only discomfort Michael Wacha faced as he proceeded to strike out his opponents one by one. He recovered well after being hit for a double by Matt Olson. Interestingly, the Padres new signee didn't have the best of records against the Braves, having been 0-4 with a 5.23 ERA in eight games.
However, he recovered from that by producing a solid performance. With the win, the San Diego Padres improved to 5-4 on the season, the same as the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.
Padres manager Bob Melvin impressed with Michael Wacha
Michael Wacha will be thrilled, as his manager Bob Melvin had good words to say about him after the game. This was the right-handed starter's first 10-strikeout game since 2015.
“It's great to see him pitch a game like that against the lineup they have and as hot as they've been,” said Padres manager Bob Melvin, adding "Wacha really showed us what he's made of and why we signed him.”
The Padres will look to keep up the momentum as they face the Braves in the last of their four game series. They will then head to New York where they face the New York Mets in a three-game series.
