How Royals ace Cole Ragans reacted to KC’s 5th straight loss & rare off night
The Kansas City Royals have followed the same script throughout their 10-game road trip.
Score early and leave a lot of doubt late.
The Royals took a one-run lead in the first inning against the Tigers on Friday night. Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino hit consecutive doubles off Detroit Tigers rookie Jackson Jobe. Later, Makiel Garcia worked a two-out walk and stole second base.
KC was set up for a big inning, but Michael Massey struck out on an 86.4 mph slider that ended the threat.
The early run support was not enough on Friday night. The Tigers easily overcame the deficit against Royals ace Cole Ragans in a 7-3 victory at Comerica Park.
“We are leaning on each other pretty heavily right now,” Pasquantino said. “Just try to get through this and keep moving forward. We’ve got a game tomorrow and we don’t have a whole lot of time to be sad. We’ve got to get back out there tomorrow.”
Difficult start for Cole Ragans
Ragans entered his start on a hot streak. He had three consecutive games with 10 or more strikeouts, joining Kevin Appier as the other Royals pitcher to achieve the mark.
Ragans, though, wasn’t efficient on Friday. He allowed five earned runs and issued three walks in four innings. The Tigers tagged Ragans with a solo home run and three additional runs in the fifth inning.
“Not good,” Ragans said. “I didn’t command the baseball very well. Left a lot of breaking balls arm side and didn’t get ahead as well as I have been in the past. Made some good pitches at times and they put good swings on them. But overall, I just fell behind a lot of guys.”
Ragans struck out eight but ran up his pitch count. In the fifth, Tigers designated hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy got aboard with a leadoff walk. A pair of singles followed that loaded the bases and Ragans was chased from the game.
Royals reliever John Schreiber came in from the bullpen. He allowed all three inherited runners to score.
“Fresh arm and different look,” manager Matt Quatraro said of the relief decision. “You know, clearly we know they’re going to pinch hit and you are hoping for a ground ball, which he got. It just found a hole.”
KC lost momentum and didn’t regain it.
Missed previous Royals coverage?
Game 1: Royals’ offensive struggles continue in 6-1 loss to Tigers
TV News: Royals see increased viewership on local broadcasts
Here are more notable aspects of Friday’s game:
Royals offense woke up late
The Tigers shut down the Royals until late in the game.
In the eighth inning, KC left the bases loaded as Drew Waters and Kyle Isbel were retired in order against Tigers reliever John Brebbia.
“We just need to have competitive at-bats,” Pasquantino said. “That’s what’s going to lead to breaking out of a slump. Just keep having good at-bats. Can’t worry about the result. I mean, you worry about the result because it matters, but you worry about how you get to that result.”
KC scored two late runs in the ninth. But the Royals were 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base.
Jobe picked up his second win of the season. He allowed one earned run and recorded five strikeouts.
“I know specifically to me, later on, he was doing a nice job of painting corners,” Pasquantino said. “He worked his curveball a little more to lefties, especially than he has previously.”
The Royals have lost five consecutive games on their 10-game road trip. The club has scored four runs or fewer in 19 of 21 games this season. They’re approaching club history with that mark.
Lucas Erceg hit in foot by line drive
Kansas City Royals reliever Lucas Erceg exited Friday’s game against the Detroit Tigers after being hit on the foot by a line drive.
Tigers star Riley Greene hit a baseball back up the middle that clipped Erceg’s foot. He stayed down before being helped to the dugout.
Erceg will be dealing with a left-foot contusion. The Royals announced, though, that X-rays were clean and he will continue to be monitored by the training staff.
“Felt huge vibrations up my leg,” Erceg said. “So my leg felt like it completely shut off. And that’s what kind of scared me the most. After 20 minutes or so, the numbness and stinging kind of went away.”
What’s next: The Royals continue their four-game series against the Tigers. Royals All-Star Seth Lugo will start against Tigers right-hander Casey Mize on Saturday afternoon at Comerica Park.
This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 8:55 PM.
