Even in loss, Royals stand to gain from Michael Wacha’s stellar start on Saturday
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wacha held Atlanta scoreless across six innings to open 2026.
- Royals will lean on Wacha’s veteran command and pitch mix this year.
- A bullpen collapse, including Estévez’s blown save, cost the win.
The Kansas City Royals know they can count on veteran starter Michael Wacha to deliver a quality start on the mound.
The 34-year-old right-hander is as consistent as they come. Last season he pitched 13 quality starts and compiled a 3.86 ERA in 31 games.
On Saturday he began his 2026 campaign on a similar note, holding the Atlanta Braves scoreless across six innings at Truist Park.
Things fell a part late in a 6-2 loss that left the Royals 0-2. But for Wacha, the numbers were good. He registered 44 swings and 13 called strikes against an aggressive Braves lineup, relying heavily on his four-seam fastball and cutter.
“I felt really good,” Wacha said. “It felt like we were getting ahead and keeping the pressure on them making good quality pitches. It felt like everything was commanded pretty well today. I felt like it was a good first one to start the year off and a good one to build off of there.”
When he needed to get out of trouble in the later innings, Wacha turned to his off-speed pitches. In the seventh, once he had exited a scoreless game, teammate Salvador Perez homered to set the stage for Wacha to potentially earn his first win of the year.
Then closer Carlos Estévez blew the save. The Braves overcame a two-run deficit and tied it at 2 in the ninth, and designated hitter Dominic Smith finished off KC with a walkoff grand slam.
The loss sullied Wacha’s strong start, but he stood up for Estévez after the game.
“He’s an absolute stud,” Wacha said. “Works harder than anyone in the game. So the confidence is still there. These types of games will happen. But yeah, it’s important to flush it.
“We’ve got another game tomorrow where we can get a win and a happy flight. We’ve got to flush this one and come out and play, which I know we will.”
The Royals will rely heavily on Wacha this season. He is a veteran presence on the mound and in the clubhouse.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro was pleased with Wacha’s effort Saturday. He indicated that Wacha did all he could to keep the Braves off the board.
“Yeah, he was awesome,” Quatraro said. “I mean, he seemed like whatever they were thinking, he was doing the opposite. He was locating and he had everything going.
“The fastball, he could elevate it and he could go away to the righties. He could go in to the lefties and he was using the changeup. A couple of cutters, couple of good sliders. So whatever he needed to do, he was in command.”
The Royals are eager to return to the MLB postseason this year after making the playoffs in 2024 and missing them last fall. Wacha will be a key part of that chase.
“Amazing,” Royals catcher Salvador Perez said of Wacha’s first effort of 2026. “You guys saw what he did. Good combination. He was pretty good. He executes the plan we have, and he had a lot of success in six innings. ... So yeah, Wacha was amazing tonight.”
This story was originally published March 28, 2026 at 11:30 PM.
