MLB Aces Of The Day For Saturday, Aug. 20
Expect these guys to dominate opposing offenses
Matthew Horner - Aug 20, 2022, 9:08am EDTMichael Wacha (2.44 ERA), Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles
What a turnaround it has been for both the Baltimore Orioles and Michael Wacha. Baltimore was the worst team in baseball in 2021, a total dumpster fire that looked hopeless from the get-go, but all that has changed in 2022. The O's have mustered up a winning record, and are even competing for a Wild Card berth this year. The whole mentality and complexion of the team has flipped, and they now have the belief in themselves that they can get the job done, even if their front office doesn't seem to want them to by trading away their best player in Trey Mancini at the deadline.
Wacha is a great story. In 2021, he had an inflated 5.05 ERA and was getting destroyed off the barrel night in and night out. This season? He's been nothing short of electric, and that showed in his last outing against the New York Yankees. He earned the win, allowing zero runs on two hits and one walk over seven innings, striking out an impressive nine batters. Wacha has been great this season with a 2.44 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, which is backed up by his xERA of 2.69, but interestingly he holds a 4.30 xFIP. This will be his second start after being activated off the IL.
Johnny Cueto (2.78 ERA), Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Guardians
While the White Sox as a whole have been horribly disappointing in 2022, they have had some bright spots throughout their roster that should be of note, and one of those bright spots has been the great play of veteran starting pitcher Johnny Cueto. Against a Cleveland team that has been average this season, he could be a great bet to take in this one. The biggest problem is trusting the Chicago offense, which is anemic and absolutely allergic to hitting home runs. For a team that boasts Jose Abreu, Luis Robert, Eloy Jimemez and Yoan Moncada, it is disturbing to see such a lack of power.
The good news for them is that Cueto will start here. In his last time out there, he earned the win, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk over eight innings against Houston. He struck out three. Cueto earned his fifth win of the season and made his ninth straight quality start. His 2.78 ERA this season has been a welcome surprise for Chicago as, if it holds, it will be the first time that he has finished a season with an ERA below 4.00 in a full season since 2016.
Drew Rasmussen (2.80 ERA), Tampa Bay Rays vs. Kansas City Royals
The Royals have one of MLB's worst offenses in 2022, so getting the chance to face a team that can barely score five runs over a five-game span should have Rays starter Drew Rasmussen salivating at the mouth. There is not much impressive about Kansas City, besides the fact that they can sometimes put up a fight when you least expect them to. That is always a worry, as it is any night when you fade an underdog, but we should be in good shape here to ride the hot hand and back Tampa Bay with one of their best pitchers on the mound at home.
In his last start, Rasmussen earned the win against Baltimore, striking out seven and allowing a run on one hit in 8.1 innings. He came within three outs of tossing a perfect game, but his efforts were thwarted when Jorge Mateo hit a double on the first pitch of the ninth inning. Since returning from an injury at the beginning of July, he's compiled a 1.94 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 33:9 K-to-BB in 41.2 innings over eight starts. It has been extraordinarily impressive, and I would expect that to continue against a poor offense like Kansas City.
Grab Rasmussen to get the win, or take the Rays F5.