Ragans (1-1) took the loss Friday against the Tigers after giving up five earned runs on six hits and three walks while striking out eight batters across four-plus innings.
Pitching at an 18 K/9 pace typically indicates a strong performance from a pitcher, but that was just about the only positive thing Ragans had going for him Friday. He squandered an early lead by allowing an RBI single in the second inning and began pitching from behind after giving up a solo shot to Andy Ibanez in the fourth. Ragans came back out for the start of the fifth frame but was quickly pulled after allowing the first three batters to reach base, all of whom eventually came around to score. The swing-and-miss specialist now carries a 3.58 ERA following his tough outing, though he should have a good chance to bounce back during his next start against a Rockies lineup that strikes out 10.8 times per game.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Fans 10 in win
Rotowire
Ragans (1-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on four hits over 7.2 innings Sunday, striking out 10 and earning a win over Cleveland.
Ragans stumbled in the second inning, giving up an RBI double to Daniel Schneemann, who would come around to score on an error. After that, Ragans was dialed in and retired 18 of the next 19 batters he faced. He forced 20 whiffs and has generated at least 16 in three straight outings. The 27-year-old is sporting a 2.28 ERA with a terrific 34:4 K:BB through four starts. Ragans' next start is expected to be in Detroit.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Dominates in no-decision
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Ragans did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's win over the Twins. He allowed one run on four hits while striking out 11 across six innings.
Ragans dominated right out of the gate Tuesday, punching out nine of the first 17 batters faced and striking out the side in the third frame. His only blemish came in the fifth inning, when he gave up an RBI single. While the Twins' offense wasn't able to generate enough runs for him to earn the win, it was Ragans' second quality start in a row. The 27-year-old southpaw generated 18 whiffs and 15 first-pitch strikes, and he has logged 21 punchouts over his last two starts. Ragans' next start is slated for Sunday's series finale against the Guardians on the road, where he'll look to earn his first win of 2025.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Fans 10 in no-decision
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Ragans recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed one run on five hits and two walks across five innings Wednesday in Milwaukee. He did not factor in the decision.
Jackson Chourio started the scoring with a solo homer during the first inning, but Ragans then blanked the Brewers by scattering baserunners for the next four frames. The left-hander showcased his stuff and generated 20 whiffs, but 21 foul balls drove up his pitch count and helped result in an early exit. Ragans has yet to provide much length in his first two starts of 2025, going five frames in both outings; however, he's pitched well, allowing four runs and posting a 13:4 K:BB. A home matchup with the Twins likely awaits him early next week.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: No-decision vs. Cleveland
Rotowire
Ragans did not factor into the decision in Thursday's 10-inning loss to the Guardians. He allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over five innings while striking out three.
Ragans had to contend with traffic for most of his outing, as the Guardians had men on base in all but two innings. The left-hander was ultimately forced out of the game after Carlos Santana led off the sixth with a base hit. Expectations are understandably high for Ragans this year after he pitched to a 3.14 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP and 223 strikeouts in 32 starts last season. He currently lines up to face the Brewers on the road in his next outing.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Fires two scoreless in spring debut
Rotowire
Ragans gave up two hits and a walk while collecting two strikeouts over two scoreless innings during his Cactus League debut against the Athletics on Monday.
In his first appearance since signing a contract extension to remain with the Royals through 2027, Ragans looked as sharp as ever Monday. He threw 25 of his 34 pitches for strikes and averaged 96.9 mph on his fastball (compared to 95.5 mph during the 2024 regular season). The 27-year-old southpaw figures to be one of the leading candidates to start Opening Day against the Guardians on March 27, though the Royals haven't made an official announcement yet.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Set to start ALDS Game 2
Rotowire
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: 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.
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Royals' Cole Ragans: Fans seven in no-decision
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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: Punches out eight in no-decision
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
