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
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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.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Punches out six in no-decision
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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.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Fans seven in no-decision
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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.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Fans 10 but takes loss
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Ragans (10-9) took the loss against Houston on Saturday, allowing five runs on four hits and two walks while striking out 10 batters over five-plus innings.
Ragans left his previous start Monday against Cleveland due to calf/hamstring cramping, but he didn't seem to be impacted at all by the issue Saturday. While the left-hander gave up five runs for the first time since late June, only one of the hits against him (a triple) went for extra bases. In fact, at one point early in the contest Ragans struck out eight straight batters, and he didn't allow his first hit until the fourth frame. Ragans' undoing was the sixth inning, when he struggled with his control -- in addition to allowing three hits, he also walked a batter, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch, and he didn't notch any outs before he was pulled. Aside from that frame, Ragans was dominant, and he notched his third double-digit strikeout performance of the season while tallying an impressive 22 whiffs.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Expected to be fine
Rotowire
Royals manager Matt Quatraro said that Ragans (calf/hamstring) is "fine" after exiting Monday's start versus the Guardians due to cramping, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
Ragans was pulled after walking the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the fifth inning due to cramping in his left calf and hamstring. However, he had already thrown 94 pitches by that point, with Quatraro noting that the lefty was likely going to be lifted soon, anyway. He'll need to get through a normal between-starts throwing session first, but Ragans sounds like he's on track to make his next scheduled start Saturday in Houston.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Leaves outing due to cramp
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Ragans was removed from Monday's start against the Guardians in the fifth inning due to a left calf/hamstring cramp, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.
After issuing a four-pitch walk to Lane Thomas to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning, Ragans motioned to the dugout that something wasn't right. After a brief conversation with the trainer and manager Matt Quatraro, Ragans exited the field. Thankfully, he doesn't appear to be dealing with a long-term injury, although it's too soon to know whether Ragans' availability for his next start might be affected. He was charged with two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks over four-plus innings before being removed.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Fans eight in victory
Rotowire
Ragans (10-7) picked up the win Wednesday against the Twins, allowing one earned run on five hits over seven innings. He struck out eight without issuing a walk.
The only run surrendered by Ragans came on a solo shot by Carlos Santana in the fourth inning. Other than that blemish, Ragans cruised through seven innings, striking out eight or more batters for the first time since July 5. The southpaw has now collected wins in five of his past six starts, pitching to a 2.87 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 40:10 K:BB in 37.2 innings during that stretch. He'll look to stay in the win column in his next start, currently scheduled for early next week against the Angels.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Collects ninth win
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Ragans (9-7) allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out seven over 6.1 innings to earn the win Wednesday over the Red Sox.
The Royals' defense didn't do Ragans any favors in the third inning, with all three Boston runs in that frame being unearned. That didn't stop Ragans from pitching into the seventh inning for the first time in four starts. The southpaw allowed multiple homers for just the second time this season. Ragans is at a 3.27 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 166:47 K:BB through 140.1 innings over 24 starts this season and he's projected for a road start versus the Twins in his next outing.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Goes seven innings again in win
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Ragans (6-6) earned the win Friday over the Red Sox, allowing one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out seven.
Ceddanne Rafaela drove in the lone run against Ragans with a two-out double in the second inning. Otherwise, the left-hander was excellent Friday, making it through seven frames for a second straight outing. He has held opponents to two runs or fewer in nine of his last 11 starts, posting a 2.39 ERA over that span (67.2 innings). Ragans, who'll represent the Royals at the All-Star Game next week, wraps up the first half with a 3.16 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 141 strikeouts, good for third most in the league.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Punches out eight in no-decision
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Ragans did not factor into the decision in Friday's 4-2 loss versus Colorado, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks over seven innings. He struck out eight.
The Kansas City ace generated 21 whiffs en route to fanning eight, earning his 13th quality start in 18 appearances. Ragans has rounded into a Cy Young contender with his last 10 outings, firing a 2.52 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 77:21 K:BB across 60.2 innings. Overall, he sports a 3.28 ERA with a 134:37 K:BB across 109.2 innings on the year. The 26-year-old currently lines up to face the Red Sox on the road next weekend for his next outing.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Hit hard by Guardians
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Ragans (5-6) took the loss Saturday, coughing up five runs on six hits and a walk over 4.2 innings as the Royals were downed 7-2 by the Guardians. He struck out six.
The big blow off the southpaw was a two-run blast by rookie Jhonkensy Noel in the fourth inning, but Ragans also got tagged for doubles by Josh Naylor and Jose Ramirez, with the latter chasing him from the game in the fifth after 93 pitches (52 strikes). Ragans hadn't given up more than three runs in a start since May 11, and he'll take a 3.33 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 126:34 K:BB through 102.2 innings into his next outing, which lines up to come on the road next weekend in Colorado.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Takes fifth loss
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Ragans (4-5) allowed two runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven over six innings to take the loss Wednesday versus the Athletics.
Ragans rattled off his fourth straight quality start, but he's still winless over his last five outings. The four walks were a season high for the southpaw, but it was still a decent performance for him despite the end result. He's maintained a 3.13 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 109:30 K:BB through 92 innings over 16 starts this season. Ragans is projected to make his next start at home versus the Marlins in a favorable matchup.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Delivers quality start
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Ragans allowed three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four over seven innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Friday.
Ragans had just one bad inning -- he gave up a two-run home run to Miguel Rojas and a solo shot to Chris Taylor in the fifth. Aside from that, it was smooth sailing for the southpaw, who earned his fifth quality start in his last six outings, though he has just two wins in that span. The Royals' ace is now at a 3.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 102:26 K:BB over 86 innings across 15 starts this season. He's given up more than three runs just twice, with both of those games being seven-run mishaps, so he's often been even more dominant than his surface stats would suggest. Ragans is projected to make his next start on the road versus the Athletics.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Fans nine in no-decision
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Ragans allowed a run on three hits and a walk over six innings in a no-decision Sunday. He struck out nine during the loss to Seattle.
Ragans served up a leadoff home run to J.P. Crawford on just the fourth pitch of the game but was otherwise dominant despite not earning a win. After the homer, Ragans struck out seven of the next 10 batters he faced. It was his second straight quality start and fourth in his last five appearances. He forced a season-high 22 whiffs, including 11 with his changeup. Ragans lowered his ERA to 3.08 alongside a 98:25 K:BB through 79 innings. His next start is expected to be against the Dodgers in Los Angeles.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Solid in no-decision
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Ragans pitched six innings in a no-decision Sunday against San Diego, allowing one earned run on five hits and two walks. He struck out six.
Ragans was strong yet again Sunday, yielding two earned runs or fewer for the fourth consecutive start. During that span, the 26-year-old has recorded a robust 1.13 ERA and 32:8 K:BB in 24 innings. The hard-throwing southpaw induced 14 swinging strikes Sunday and has shown an impressive ability to miss bats this season, posting 10.97 K/9 thanks to a 15.0 percent swinging strike rate that ranks in the 95th percentile. Ragans will look to do more of the same in his next start, currently scheduled for this weekend against Seattle.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Limits damage in loss
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Ragans (4-4) took the loss Tuesday against Minnesota, allowing three runs on nine hits and a walk across five innings. He struck out seven.
Ragans stranded a runner in all five of his innings pitched and had a difficult time getting through a Twins lineup that featured seven righties and a pair of switch hitters. The southpaw relied heavily on his ability to miss bats, inducing 14 whiffs and generating seven or more strikeouts for the fifth time in his last six starts. Ragans will close out his two-start week with a home outing against the Padres on Sunday.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Surrenders seven runs in loss
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Ragans (2-3) took the loss against the Angels on Saturday, allowing seven runs on eight hits and one walk over 6.1 innings. He struck out three.
Ragans first ran into trouble in the top of the second after surrendering a leadoff triple to Kevin Pillar to open the frame, which would eventually lead to three runs coming home for Los Angeles. The lefty would also surrender runs in the third and seventh innings, with the final two of those runs coming across after he was relieved by Nick Anderson. Ragans had given up two runs or fewer in each of his last three starts coming in, but ended up matching his season high with seven runs allowed in Saturday's loss. On a positive note, he's now managed to go at least six innings in three consecutive outings, posting a 20:6 K:BB over that stretch.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Punches out eight
Rotowire
Ragans allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over six innings in a no-decision Monday. He struck out eight during the win over Milwaukee.
The lone blemish on Ragans' line Monday was a two-run shot by Gary Sanchez in the fourth inning. After the long ball, Ragans retired the final seven batters he faced, with three coming via strikeout. He matched his season high by forcing 19 whiffs, with nine coming against his changeup. Since getting hammered for seven runs against the Orioles, Ragans has posted a strong 2.04 ERA and 21:8 K:BB over his last three starts. The 26-year-old will carry a 3.38 ERA into his next outing, which is lined up to be a road matchup with the Angels this weekend.
