Colorado Rockies vs. Kansas City Royals game discussion: Michael Wacha vs. Tomoyuki Sugano

The Colorado Rockies (42-67) return to Coors Field tonight to open a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals (46-64).

Colorado has not won since beating the Milwaukee Brewers last Friday. The Rockies lost the final two games of that series, had Monday off, were swept in a two-game set against the San Diego Padres and were off again yesterday.

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They remain stuck on 42 victories.

One more win would match the Rockies’ entire 2025 total before the calendar turns to August. Last year’s club did not reach win No. 43 until September 21.

Kansas City arrives in Denver following a painful walk-off loss to the Minnesota Twins. The Royals have disappointed this season and enter the series 18 games below .500 despite carrying higher expectations into the year.

Tomoyuki Sugano (菅野 智之) will take the ball for Colorado in what could be his final start with the Rockies before the trade deadline.

Sugano enters at 10-4 with a 4.69 ERA as his results continue to outpace his expected metrics.

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He has accomplished that through mixing and locating a deep arsenal. In his last start, Sugano pitched into the sixth inning and allowed two earned runs while striking out five and walking only one.

Both runs came on solo home runs.

That was typical of Sugano’s season. He has allowed his share of home runs, but he has often limited the damage by avoiding traffic in front of them. A solo homer hurts. A three-run homer can end an outing.

Sugano threw seven different pitch types against Milwaukee and relied on sequencing and varying speeds to quiet a pesky Brewers lineup. His splitter was the most effective offering, while his four-seamer and cutter were more vulnerable, making the order and location of his pitches especially important.

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Sugano will look to follow the same formula tonight against a fellow veteran right-hander who also relies on sequencing and location more than raw power.

Michael Wacha enters at 5-7 with a 3.60 ERA and 104 strikeouts across 132.1 innings. His 4.26 xERA is less flattering, but this is not a new disagreement. Wacha has posted a lower ERA than xERA in six consecutive seasons.

Wacha does not overwhelm hitters. His four-seamer averages 93.1 mph, while his strikeout and whiff rates sit below league average. He instead limits walks, avoids barrels and receives excellent results from his offspeed pitches.

Like Sugano, Wacha works with a broad arsenal. His four-seamer and changeup lead a six-pitch mix that also includes a cutter, sinker, curveball and slider.

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How he distributes those pitches may be more important than any individual offering.

During his last start on July 25, Wacha did not throw consecutive pitches of the same type to any hitter the first time through the order. He did not repeat a pitch type until the third batter of the fourth inning, after the lineup had already turned over once.

Only five hitters during the entire outing saw the same pitch type thrown back-to-back.

Wacha rarely allows a hitter to eliminate possibilities or use the previous offering as a comfortable reference point for the next one, much like Sugano.

He finished that outing with seven innings of two-run baseball despite recording only three strikeouts.

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Tonight at Coors Field, it is a battle between two wily veterans who rely on location, variety and sequencing more than raw power.

For Sugano, it could be one final opportunity to work his way through a lineup in purple.

Meanwhile, Brenton Doyle returns to the fold tonight, adding another piece to an already crowded Rockies outfield. Colorado’s three biggest position-player trade pieces — Jake McCarthy, Mickey Moniak and Hunter Goodman — will bat first, second and third.

For at least one more night, they are all still in purple.

The details…

First Pitch: 6:40 p.m. MDT

TV: Rockies.TV

Radio: KOA 850 AM/94.1 FM; KNRV 1150 (Spanish)

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Royals SB Nation site: Royals Review

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