Wacha gave up one unearned run on four hits and one walk over two innings in Monday's 7-2 Grapefruit League win over the Red Sox.
Wacha had an eventful pair of frames on the mound, working his way around an error in the first and leadoff walk in the second. The right-hander was able to throw all four of his pitches effectively and keep the ball down in the strike zone. His one run came after he surrendered back-to-back singles in the first to Hanley Ramirez and Mitch Moreland following a Pau DeJong throwing error on a ball hit by Mookie Betts. Wacha was even better in the second, striking out Sandy Leon on three pitches and getting Dustin Pedroia to pop up to right field by catching him out ahead of his changeup. "I felt good today. Throwing a lot of strikes. Keeping the ball down in the zone," Wacha said after his outing and before trucking back to Jupiter, Fla. "There were good things, for sure. Early on, in my bullpens and in live BPs and stuff, I have made it a point to pitch down in the zone. That is one of the key things I wanted to establish today."