2) Former Red Sox player failing with his new team: Michael Wacha
This I could've predicted. Michael Wacha pitched well for Boston last season, posting a 3.32 ERA in 23 starts. His issue was the advanced metrics did not support his low ERA whatsoever, and it felt inevitable that he'd regress.
There's a reason Wacha didn't sign with a team until very late in the offseason. The Padres were the team to eventually sign the right-hander, and they gave him a four-year deal. Things haven't gone swimmingly in Southern California for him.
Wacha has a 6.75 ERA in his first five starts and 25.1 innings pitched. He's had one good start sandwiched between two alright starts and two awful ones.
He pitched six scoreless innings in Atlanta with ten strikeouts in his second start of the season. That's great. In his other four starts he's gone 19.1 innings, and has allowed 19 runs on 31 hits with six walks and 13 strikeouts. Not good at all.
Wacha would fit right in with the rest of this Red Sox rotation which is not a compliment. I hope he does turn it around because he did pitch well for the Sox last season when it felt like virtually nobody else did, but it's been brutal so far.