Wacha notched his fourth victory of spring by striking out four while allowing two earned runs on five hits and one walk over four innings Wednesday versus the Nationals.
Wacha got his work in as he'd hoped this spring, making a total of seven trips to the mound and finishing with a 2.42 ERA and 22 strikeouts over his 26 frames. Per Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the right-hander also honed his curveball into a consistent and effective weapon while regaining the steep angle on his fastball that last season's shoulder woes had robbed him of. Wacha hit 97 mph on the gun Wednesday, which also marked the first game that backstop Yadier Molina had an opportunity to catch him this spring. The 2015 17-game winner is slated to start either the third or fourth game of the season for the Cardinals, with Lance Lynn's (ribs) health likely to be the determining factor as to which.