Michael Wacha continued his mastery of the Los Angeles Angels and was supported by home runs from Vinnie Pasquantino and Dairon Blanco in the Kansas City Royals’ 10-4 victory Thursday night in Anaheim, Calif.
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Wacha in the 2012 draft after receiving the pick as compensation from the Angels for their signing of free agent Albert Pujols. Wacha has made the Angels pay ever since.
Wacha entered with a 3-0 record and a 0.44 ERA against the Angels in his career, including one of his two career shutouts. Despite his struggles this season, Wacha (2-4) was sharp, holding the Angels scoreless until the seventh inning in the opener of a four-game series.
By that time, Kansas City had built a 9-0 lead. Maikel Garcia had three hits, scored twice and drove in two; Pasquantino homered, doubled, scored twice and drove in three; and Blanco had three hits including a homer, scored four times and drove in two for a Royals offense that totaled 12 hits.
Most of the damage came against Angels starter Reid Detmers, who has hit a rough patch after a strong start to the season. Detmers was 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA in his first four starts, but hasn’t won since, losing each of his last four starts.
Detmers (3-4) gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks in five innings while striking out five and making 90 pitches.
Meanwhile, Wacha allowed just one hit — a Logan O’Hoppe single in the fourth — through six innings.
In the seventh, the Angels benefitted from an error by Garcia and scored three runs on bases-loaded walks by Luis Guillorme and Cole Tucker and a sacrifice fly by Nolan Schanuel.
Wacha went six-plus innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and five walks while striking out six and making 103 pitches.
The Royals, who have won three of their last four games, set the tone with four runs in the third on two-run home runs from Blanco and Pasquantino.
–Field Level Media
