It didn’t take too long for rookie right-handed starting pitcher Michael Wacha to make his mark in the St. Louis Cardinals rotation as he came one out away from no hitting the Washington Nationals.
Wacha the sixth ranked prospect in the Cardinals organization at the start of the 2013 season nearly got the chance to make the starting rotation out of spring training and instead wound up with 15 starts for the Memphis Redbirds. He went 5-3 with a 2.65 era while striking out 73 and walking 19.
The talented pitcher has a total of 15 appearances for St. Louis and tonight marked his ninth start of his career. In his last outing he didn’t last long going 4.2 innings, giving up 12 hits, four runs all earned while striking out seven. Overall his record before the game against Washington was 3-1 with a 3.21 era, thrown 56 innings and struck out 56 while walking 17.
Tonight he was outstanding his only blemishes were two walks one to Ryan Zimmerman and the other to Adam LaRoche.
Zimmerman broke up the no-hitter with an infield single beating out a valiant effort by Pete Kozma who used his bare hand, yet pulled first basemen Matt Adams from first who also tried making a tag to get the last out to no avail. Wacha did not end up with a complete game shutout as Trevor Rosenthal recorded the last out for his second save of the season.
Also, if he hadn’t walked two or given up the hit it still wouldn’t have been a perfect game as Matt Carpenter committed an error in the fifth inning. Wacha’s line for the night he went 8.2 innings, gave up one hit, struck out nine and walked two.