CLEVELAND -- Leave it to the ace to get the Royals back on track.
Cole Ragans was masterful Sunday, tossing a career-high 7 2/3 innings with just two runs (one earned) allowed in the Royals¡¯ 4-2 win over the Guardians at Progressive Field, ending the series in Cleveland with a win before the Royals head to New York.
If not for a left hamstring cramp that Ragans began to feel throughout his outing and more while facing Austin Hedges in the eighth inning, the Royals' lefty might have completed his first career complete game. He was that dominant and that efficient, beginning his outing with a six-pitch first inning and ending his day at just 89 pitches.
¡°Oh man, I know,¡± Ragans said of the potential for a complete game. ¡°Trust me, I thought about it. I thought about it. But we¡¯ve got some good guys in the back end there. They know what they¡¯re doing.¡±
Ragans, who has dealt with cramps before during starts, didn¡¯t want to push his luck when he felt his hamstring begin to cramp in the eighth inning. He signaled to the Royals¡¯ dugout, and manager Matt Quatraro quickly came out to make a pitching change.
And with a rested bullpen, the Royals had all the confidence to hand it off to Lucas Erceg, who struck out Brayan Rocchio to end the eighth. Carlos Est¨¦vez locked down the ninth for his fifth save of the season.
Besides, Ragans had done his part. His 10 punchouts Sunday marked his third consecutive start with 10-plus strikeouts following 10 punchouts on April 2 against Milwaukee and 11 K¡¯s last Tuesday against Minnesota.
That made Ragans the second pitcher in Royals history with 10-plus strikeouts in three consecutive starts, joining Kevin Appier in 1996 as the only two to do so.
¡°When [Ragans is] on, he knows he can beat people in the zone,¡± Quatraro said. ¡°And that¡¯s what the best of the best do.¡±
En route to his first win of the year, Ragans got a little help from the Royals¡¯ captain when Salvador Perez hit a game-tying two-run homer in the fourth inning. And as part of Maikel Garcia¡¯s 3-for-4 day back at the leadoff spot with Jonathan India nursing right quad tightness, the Royals¡¯ third baseman knocked the go-ahead two-run double in the fifth inning.
That¡¯s all the pitching staff needed to seal a win. And it was a much-needed win, too, after two disappointing losses to open this road trip with the offense scuffling.
There was no better time for Ragans to take the mound and get the Royals back to .500 (8-8).
¡°It was unbelievable,¡± Bobby Witt Jr. said. ¡°Just from pitch one, attacking and him being him. ¡ He¡¯s a competitor out there. If I was facing him, I wouldn¡¯t want to get behind to where he¡¯s throwing all those pitches.¡±
Indeed, Ragans got ahead with a first-pitch strike to 18 of the 26 batters he faced on Sunday. The Guardians only knocked four hits off him. They were aggressive early in the count, which kept Ragans¡¯ pitch count down.
Their only two runs came when Witt¡¯s defensive mistakes led to a single in the second inning, followed by Witt¡¯s throwing error that allowed Daniel Schneemann to score on his RBI double.
But when Ragans got ahead, it was hard for the Guardians to stay in the at-bat. He either blew his fastball by them (eight whiffs) or fooled them with his changeup (eight whiffs). His curveball came into play at times (three whiffs), too.
¡°If I get ahead, I¡¯m in the driver¡¯s seat,¡± Ragans said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter who it is. It¡¯s just the mentality of strike one, strike one, strike one.¡±
This is how Ragans can get better from a 2024 that saw him finish fourth in American League Cy Young voting, posting a 3.14 ERA and emerging as one of the best pitchers in baseball. He¡¯s been open about how he wants to cut down on walks and simplify his mechanics and thought process when he¡¯s on the mound this year.
A 2.28 ERA, just four walks in 23 2/3 innings and an MLB-best 34 strikeouts is a good way to start.
¡°That was a big thing this offseason, simplify things and get ahead, cut down the walks,¡± Ragans said. ¡°... That¡¯s all I¡¯m trying to do, is get ahead. If I make a mistake here or there, I might get an unbalanced swing because I¡¯ve gotten ahead of the guy. So it¡¯s just continuing to get ahead of guys and put them on the defensive.¡±