Michael Wacha was the last starting pitcher added to the mix this spring, but he was certainly not viewed as the sixth starter in the rotation. At just $7.5 million for this season, he also was something of a bargain.
“When we signed him,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said Wednesday afternoon, “I thought it was a coup.”
Hours later, Wacha only fortified that opinion, striking out five over 6 2/3 strong innings in a 5-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians to continue his eye-opening start.
The veteran right-hander walked just one, in his last inning, in extending his scoreless innings streak to 12 2/3. It was also his sixth scoreless start this inning, this one made easier by Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Nelson Cruz all homering in their biggest power display at Petco Park this year.
Tatis’ blast led off the game for his franchise-record 11th, overtaking the 10 that Will Venable hit in navy blue.
It was also Tatis’ 14th of the season, tops on the team despite the 24-year-old superstar missing the first 20 games due to serving the rest of his PED suspension.
Machado added a solo shot in the third, Soto hit one in the sixth and Cruz, coming off the bench, blasted off in the eighth.
That was more than enough for Wacha, the NL pitcher of the month in May (0.84 ERA) who’d really only had two poor starts all season.
In fact, half of the earned runs he’d allowed coming into Wednesday occurred while allowing 12 earned runs in back-to-back starts (8 1/3 IP) in mid-April.
Take those away and the 31-year-old veteran would have carried a sparkling 1.81 ERA into Wednesday’s start instead of a very good 3.18 mark.
“Less one start or two starts, (he’s) probably as good as anybody in the National League,” Melvin said. “I think more anything, it’s the confidence he gives the team when it’s his day to pitch and when he toes the rubber … so (he’s) been awfully good.”
Wednesday was more of the same.
Wacha retired the first seven batters he faced before Will Brennan’s one-out single in the third.
The Padres’ other transaction heist — waiver claim Gary Sanchez — helped Wacha out of the inning, throwing out Brennan attempting to steal second as Mike Zunino swung through a fastball just above the zone for strike three.
Wacha’s defense also helped strand Josh Naylor’s leadoff single in the fifth, with Trent Grisham running in for a diving catch in shallow center field and Tatis showing off his range on two successive balls to right, including a sliding catch on a sinking liner to end the inning.
Both plays prompted Tony Gwynn Jr. to dangle Jerry Coleman’s golden star out of the broadcast booth window.
Wacha followed with a scoreless sixth, struck out the first batter of the seventh and allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases, forcing Melvin pull him against the backdrop of a standing ovation.
Steven Wilson gave the sellout crowd of 43,660 reason to keep cheering, striking out Myles Straw to preserve the 4-0 lead.
All told, Wacha threw 62 of his 94 pitches for strikes in penning his seventh quality start in his last eight outings.
For the Padres, two longballs arrived before the sun set, as was the case on Tuesday.
Also, like Tuesday, they continued to tack on.
This time, it was in the sixth inning — first, with Tatis doubling with two outs, stealing third and scoring on a wild pitch and then on Soto’s solo shot to left — as the Padres continue to remember they’re built to score runs in more ways than one. Cruz’s home run arrived in the eighth, his first since coming off the injured list Tuesday.
“We’re hitting on different types of cylinders,” Melvin said. “We don’t necessarily have to hit for power. We can manufacture runs. Our speed game has picked up some, situational hitting has been better. And then when you mix in a homer … it makes you feel pretty good about where your offense is.”
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