Michael Wacha gave the Royals another strong start in a 3-1 loss to the Rockies on Friday, with a deadline that could send him elsewhere looming on Monday.
A hailstorm pushed the first pitch back an hour at Coors Field on Friday night, and once the game started, the Royals ran into the same problem that has followed them all season.
Michael Wacha pitched well enough to win and got almost nothing behind him, as Kansas City fell 3-1 to the Rockies and dropped to 46-65.
The loss itself changes little for a team this far out of the race.
What made the night worth watching was Wacha himself, because it may have been his last start in a Royals uniform before Monday's deadline.
Another Strong Start Gets Wasted
Wacha went six innings and allowed three runs, but only one was earned after a throwing error by Michael Massey opened the door in the fourth.
He walked nobody, struck out seven, and at one point fanned five hitters in a row, which was the best streak of his career.
Colorado scratched out a first-inning run on a Mickey Moniak double and a TJ Rumfield single, then added two in the fourth on the error and a Brenton Doyle double.
Tomoyuki Sugano held Kansas City to one run over six and two-thirds innings, and the only answer came from Carter Jensen, whose 15th homer of the season cut the lead to 3-1 in the sixth.
The Quiet Case For A Big Return
Wacha now carries a 3.51 ERA across 138 and a third innings, and he leads the American League with 15 quality starts while getting the lowest run support of any starter in baseball.
General manager J.J. Picollo has said the club will stay open-minded on offers while being very pointed about what it would take, noting the club already has needs in its own rotation.
Wacha is not letting the noise in.
"It's something that's out of your control, and I try to worry about things that I can control, like going out there every fifth day and doing my job for the Royals," he said, per MLB.com.
Trading an All-Star this steady would sting, but a seller that hesitates on its best chip usually regrets it, and the same logic applies to Lane Thomas.
My own view is that Friday made the decision easier, not harder.
A pitcher throwing this well at this point of the season will never be worth more than he is right now, and a team this far from contention cannot afford to let sentiment set the price.
If the right offer shows up before Monday evening, Kansas City has to take it.
Jensen Is The Reason To Watch Anyway
Whatever happens Monday, Jensen keeps making these games feel less empty.
He has been one of the few steady bats in a lineup that wasted Noah Cameron's gem earlier this week, and his power is starting to show up against good pitching.
Kansas City plays two more in Denver this weekend, sits out Monday while the deadline passes, then hosts the Twins on Tuesday.
By then the roster could look very different, and Wacha's mentality might be the thing the Royals miss most.
