Game thread II – Royals at Braves
Let’s try that again, this time without the oops!
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 27: Salvador Perez #13 of the Kansas City Royals hits a single against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning of the home opener at Truist Park on March 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images The best part about starting the season a day later than almost everyone else is that we don’t have to wait through an off-day to get the taste of a dud out of our mouths.
Sure, the Royals had a pretty awful offensive game paired with a mediocre pitching effort in last night’s match, but tonight’s could (and probably will) go better! The Royals will have Michael Wacha on the mound. While Michael does not have the upside of Ragans, he also comes with far less variability.
Per a Royals press release, Wacha has allowed three runs or fewer in 23 of 29 road starts over his career with KC. That’s pretty good! You can refine that even further using the FanGraphs splits tool to discover that he’s allowed two or fewer in 16 of those 29 starts, so more than half the time.
The last time he faced Atlanta was in 2023 with the Padres, but he went six shutout innings with ten strikeouts and only one walk. It’s easy to feel confident the Royals will get a competent outing from Wacha today. Atlanta will counter with Reynaldo López.