Questions linger about KC Royals pitchers after Cactus League win

The Kansas City Royals didn't back down from the six-run deficit they faced after five innings against the Los Angeles Angels on March 14. Instead, the quiet Royals suddenly turned feisty, battered Los Angeles for six runs in the sixth, scored another time in the seventh and once more in the eighth, and squeezed by to win, 9-8.

A blow-by-blow account of the crucial sixth frame — during which the Royals sent 10 men to the plate and utilized a pair of walks, a single, a double, a fielder's choice, a sacrifice bunt, and four stolen bases to plate their half-dozen runs — might be interesting. But in the grand scheme of things, what two Royals pitchers did, and didn't do, may be more important than how the club won a soon-to-be-forgotten Cactus League contest.

KC Royals starter Michael Wacha had his troubles against the Angels

Making his third start of the spring after signing a new three-year deal with the Royals in November, Michael Wacha struggled, yet again. In 3.1 innings, he gave up five runs (two unearned), a two-run homer to former KC single-season record holder Jorge Soler, four singles, a double, and a walk. The performance overshadowed Wacha's four strikeouts.

The outing differed little from the two starts Wacha made before facing the Angels. He gave the Colorado Rockies three runs and a homer in two February 26 innings, and the San Francisco Giants knocked him around for five runs on five hits — including two homers — and two walks in the 2.2 frames he worked against them on March 8. His ERA is now 12.38 and he's yielded four home runs and nine other hits in eight innings.

Whether the Royals need to be concerned remains to be seen. This is, after all, spring training, when poor performances are frequently attributable to players experimenting with new pitches, making mechanical adjustments, or minor aches and pains. Nothing publicly known suggests Wacha is suffering from any significant injury.

And baseball history is packed with bad spring outings that turned out to mean nothing when the regular season started. That Wacha went 13-8 with a 3.35 across 29 starts for KC last season suggests he'll be just fine when the games begin to mean much more than they do now.

But until then, nothing is known for certain.

What did the KC Royals learn about Carlos Estévez?

Not a lot, really, at least on the surface. Making his 2025 Cactus League debut — a premiere long delayed by the back tightness that had sidelined him since late February — Estévez was neither overwhelming nor underwhelming. He didn't strike out or walk anyone, surrendered an unearned run set up in part by his own error, and gave up two hits in the only inning he pitched.

Considering he'll either close games for manager Matt Quatraro or set up Lucas Erceg, Estévez's one inning was about right, but it provided little to go on — he'll need more live-game work before the Royals know just how ready he is and where he'll fit into the club's Opening Day roster.