Ragans (calf) will start Monday in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Ragans exited his wild-card series start versus the Orioles after six shutout innings due to left calf cramps, but his readiness for the start of the ALDS doesn't seem to be in question. The left-handed Ragans -- who will be pitching on five days' rest -- will be preceded by Michael Wacha in Game 1.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Leaves with cramps
Rotowire
Ragans was pulled from Tuesday's wild-card game against Baltimore due to left calf cramps.
Prior to suffering his injury, Ragans had cruised through six shutout innings on 80 pitches while striking out eight batters. The severity of his injury is unknown, though the Royals won't need to make a decision on his availability until the ALDS, provided the team advances past the O's.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Set for Game 1 start
Rotowire
Ragans will start Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Orioles on Tuesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Ragans -- who will be opposed by Corbin Burnes -- earns the Royals' first playoff game start since 2015 after collecting a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223:67 K:BB over 186.1 innings covering 32 starts. The Royals will go with Seth Lugo in Game 2 and Michael Wacha in Game 3, if there is one.
Ragans will not start Sunday in Atlanta, as the team will go with Alec Marsh instead in the regular-season finale, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
The Royals will prioritize having Ragans available for the start of the postseason and give Marsh the nod in a game that still has implications for playoff seeding, as noted by Jason Beck of MLB.com. Marsh has worked primarily as a starter this season, but he was recently removed from the rotation in favor of Michael Lorenzen. Ragans will end his regular season with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223:67 K:BB in 186.1 innings.
Royals' Cole Ragans: Punches out six in no-decision
Rotowire
Ragans did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's 1-0 win at Washington, pitching six scoreless innings while yielding three hits and three walks. He struck out six.
The Kansas City southpaw picked up his fourth consecutive quality start and 21st overall with this 89-pitch performance. Over that span, Ragans has pitched to a stellar 1.08 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 26:11 K:BB across 25 innings. In total, the 26-year-old has fired 186.1 frames with a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 223:67 K:BB this season. He currently lines up to make his last regular-season start at Atlanta this weekend, an outing that will have significant playoff implications.
Ragans came away with a no-decision Tuesday, allowing one run on four hits and four walks over seven innings in a 3-1 extra-inning loss to the Tigers. He struck out six.
The southpaw delivered his 20th quality start of the season on 105 pitches (66 strikes), but the Kansas City offense squandered multiple chances to give Ragans the lead before eventually losing in the 10th inning. Since the beginning of August, he sports a 2.94 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 64:23 K:BB through 52 innings as the Royals push for their first trip to the playoffs since 2015. Ragans is scheduled to make his next start on the road early next week against the Nationals.
Ragans allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out seven batters over six innings in a no-decision against the Yankees on Wednesday.
Ragans held New York scoreless until Juan Soto tagged him for a two-run homer in the sixth inning. That put the left-hander in line for the loss, but the Kansas City offense took him off the hook with a run in the following frame. Overall, Ragans pitched well, recording 13 whiffs en route to seven punchouts and notching his second straight quality start. Ragans has at least seven strikeouts in six of his past seven outings and ranks second in the majors with 211 punchouts on the season.
