Wacha's 8-inning scoreless gem drops ERA to MLB-best 0.43 mark

KANSAS CITY -- Before Michael Wacha took the mound to face the White Sox on Saturday, Royals manager Matt Quatraro was asked about the veteran right-hander’s stellar start to the 2026 season.

“I think in the last couple of years, he has probably gotten rolling in May,” Quatraro said. “Now, he has come right out of the gate firing on all cylinders.”

For Wacha, the third outing was even better than the first two, which were almost as good as it gets. He flooded the strike zone against Chicago, firing 63 strikes on 88 pitches in an eight-inning scoreless masterpiece that served as the springboard for Kansas City’s 2-0 victory at Kauffman Stadium.

Wacha allowed just four hits and struck out seven after taking the baton from Kris Bubic, who hurled seven scoreless innings on Friday. The Royals shut out an opponent two games in a row for the first time since April of last season against Houston, when Kansas City also won a pair of back-to-back 2-0 games.

Wacha lowered his ERA to an MLB-best 0.43 and has given up just 10 hits and five walks over the first 21 innings to begin his season. He's struck out 17 batters and logged a quality start in all three outings this year.

Third baseman Maikel Garcia provided all the offense that Kansas City would need in the first inning. Garcia drilled a first-pitch home run off White Sox starter Erick Fedde that served as the only run until Garcia doubled and later scored on a Vinnie Pasquantino sacrifice fly in the eighth to give closer Lucas Erceg an insurance run.

In a series in which the baseball scores have looked more like soccer scores, the Royals have put themselves in position to win three out of four against the White Sox if they can prevail on Sunday.

“It’s a full-team game,” Quatraro said. “It’s not an offense, not a pitching staff. It’s the Royals. We played well enough to win two days in a row.”

Wacha set the tone by delivering 17 consecutive strikes to begin his outing.

“I knew going into it that the stuff was moving good,” Wacha said.

Since joining the Royals in 2024, Wacha has recorded a quality start in all seven outings against the White Sox. He’s pitched to a 1.31 ERA in that stretch, and has tossed seven scoreless frames in four of those seven starts.

“The efficiency was what was most impressive,” Quatraro said. “He was in control the whole game. Curve, changeup, putting the fastball where he wanted. That was a masterclass right there.”

The combination of precise pitching and sprinkling in some well-timed extra-base hits has enabled the Royals to pull back within a game of .500 (7-8) even during a stretch when they are 0-for-33 with runners in scoring position.

Fedde wanted to get ahead of Garcia with his first pitch of the day, and Garcia went to the plate in ambush mode rather than waiting a pitch or two to check out Fedde’s arsenal.

“It’s how you feel and what the matchup is like,” Quatraro said. “If you are ready to go and get a good pitch to hit, let [it] rip.”

With a 2-for-4 day, Garcia lifted his batting average to .328 and OPS to .911. The 2025 All-Star leads the team in runs scored (nine), hits (19) and is tied with eight RBIs alongside Jonathan India.

“Amazing,” Garcia said when asked how he’s feeling at the plate. “Just doing my routine and having confidence. I play every single day with confidence.”

Now, Garcia just wants to see the Royals close out the series in style on Sunday.

“We have to get another one,” Garcia said. “We don’t want 2-2.”