Wacha (7-1) allowed one hit while walking two and striking out eight across eight scoreless innings to earn the win Sunday against the Pirates.
Wacha was immediately handed a 4-0 lead after a first-inning grand slam by Marcell Ozuna, and he took advantage, holding the Pirates hitless for eight innings. Prior to allowing a single to Colin Moran to lead off the ninth inning, Wacha had put only two runners on base via walks in the fifth inning. He relied heavily on groundballs -- 12 of the 16 balls in play remained on the ground -- and worked effectively in the strike zone with 74 of his 111 pitches going for strikes. After a few shaky efforts early in the season, Wacha has now recorded a quality start in each of his past five, bringing his ERA down to 2.41 through 12 starts.