Record: 14-14 (W6)
W: Michael Wacha (1-3, 3.38 ERA)
L: Framber Valdez (1-3, 4.00 ERA)
S: Carlos Estévez (7, 2.77 ERA)
It’s the second consecutive night where the Royals claim a 2-0 victory over the Houston Astros. This time, the game may as well have been over after the first inning as the Royals finally showed what the lineup is supposed to be doing. Jonathan India led the game off with a walk, Bobby Witt Jr. hit a double that for most other hitters/runners would just be a single, and India was driven in by a sac fly from the #4 hitter… Mark Canha.
It would prove to be unnecessary, but the Royals would acquire a second run from their more conventional #4 hitter, Vinnie Pasquantino, who went deep for the first time in about two weeks.
Despite the win, this game probably won’t dispel most of the pessimism surrounding Royals hitters. For what it’s worth, they did face a quality SP who is known to generate quick outs and pitch deep into games. Indeed, Framber Valdez pitched the entire game (albeit 8 innings) for the loss. That said, he wasn’t exactly attacking the zone.
There were a handful of outside pitches the Royals swung at, and so Valdez generated a solid 30% called strikes + whiffs and only allowed three hits and two walks. That the Royals were able to scrape two runs in off such limited opportunities speaks to how efficiently they can be and feels familiar to 2024’s squad. A win’s a win so I’d like to think of this as not a bad game, just not a great one.
Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without the very best from Michael Wacha. The Astros know how to hit hard and showed it, but most of their hardest-hit balls were lineouts or groundouts. He was able to speckle the entire zone and got the usual swings and misses with his curveball and changeup, but the fastball and slider were what let him stay in control.
The only point of concern was in the sixth inning when Isaac Parades singled and Jeremy Peña walked with one out. Wacha responded by striking out Christian Walker and generating a groundout that involved some quick thinking by him and Salvy. There was another potential worry with John Schreiber allowing two hits with two outs, perhaps instilling flashbacks of Monday’s game, but he would also respond to the pressure by striking out Christian Walker. Carlos Estévez threw six strikes for three outs to end the game quickly.
Summary of the Next Game
The Astros and Royals finish the series tomorrow at 1:10 PM. It should be a marquee pitching matchup with two rising star pitchers, both homegrown talents. Hunter Brown is Houston’s probable starter, who comes into this game with an active 24-inning scoreless streak. The Royals will count on Kris Bubic to be his match, who enjoyed a scoreless game of his own against the Rockies on Monday.
The article is titled after the Marilyn Manson song ‘Deep Six’.
Image Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea (Imagn Images)
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