The righthander who blitzed the majors in 2013 with a one-two, fastball-changeup combination that knocked out some of the league’s best teams has spent this spring expanding the number of pitches he has confidence in, not just that he’ll use. In four scoreless innings Monday, Wacha struck out six.
With Adam Wainwright’s sudden absence from the opening week, Wacha inherits Saturday’s start against the Mets and the home opener the next week at Busch Stadium. The question following Wacha into spring was whether he could find a way to get through a lineup for the third time. Once hitters read the changeup or hunt the fastball, what else does he have?