Michael Wacha has been the brightest light amid a dismal start to the season for the Kansas City Royals.
Meanwhile, Chris Bassitt might have found a needed rhythm following a rough beginning to his Baltimore Orioles’ tenure.
The two veteran right-handers will match up in the decisive contest of a three-game series on Wednesday afternoon in Kansas City, Mo.
Wacha (2-0, 1.00 ERA), who will turn 35 in July, is second in the majors in ERA, trailing only Jose Soriano (0.28) of the Los Angeles Angels. Wacha has yielded just three runs, eight walks and 13 hits over 27 innings of his four starts.
On Friday, Wacha gave up a two-run homer and two other hits over six innings in Kansas City’s 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees.
“He’s difficult against any lineup,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro.
Wacha is 3-3 with a 5.22 ERA in 13 career starts vs. Baltimore. He is 0-2 with a 5.29 ERA in three starts against the Orioles since joining Kansas City in December 2023.
The Royals, however, have some momentum after ending an eight-game losing streak with Tuesday’s 6-5 win to even this series.
“We believe in each other, and everyone in here,” star Bobby Witt Jr. told the Royals’ official website. “And that’s how we got to go about it. We got to get better every day and try to improve.”
Michael Massey belted a tying solo homer in the eighth inning and Maikel Garcia scored the winning run on a wild pitch in the ninth for the Royals, who will bid to post back-to-back victories for the first time since April 10-11.
“It’s a long season. … We have a great team,” Garcia told Royals.TV. “We just keep working, go out there and compete.”
Garcia is 4-for-9 in the series, but he’s hitless in four career at-bats vs. Bassitt (0-2, 6.19 ERA).
Bassitt allowed 10 runs over 6 1/3 innings while losing his first two starts as an Oriole this season. Since then, though, the former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher has yielded one earned run in 9 2/3 innings as Baltimore won his next two outings.
Last Friday at Cleveland, Bassitt yielded four hits and four walks over five scoreless innings of the Orioles’ 6-4 victory.
“Overall, good,” he said. “(I’m) able to just execute enough.”
Bassitt is 1-2 with a 3.60 ERA in eight career starts against the Royals, with Witt and Vinnie Pasquantino going a combined 2-for-10 vs. him.
Meanwhile, Massey’s homer served as the first hit and run allowed this season by Baltimore reliever Nico Garcia.
Pete Alonso had two hits Tuesday but is batting just .211 to open his first season with the Orioles after seven seasons with the New York Mets. However, Alonso is 3-for-7 with a home vs. Wacha.
Baltimore has lost six of its last eight games and is 2-4 on a seven-game road trip.
Fellow Orioles star Adley Rutschman came off the 10-day injury list Tuesday and hit his first home run of 2026. He’s a career .301 hitter with two homers and 10 RBIs against Kansas City.
–Field Level Media
