Royals lose series finale against Twins. Here’s what went wrong + what comes next
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- Ragans allowed one run in six innings with eight strikeouts and got no decision.
- Twins starter Taj Bradley tossed six scoreless innings.
- Royals were 1-for-7 with RISP and left eight men on base.
Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans didn’t waste much time.
After an uneven start against the Braves on opening day in Atlanta, Ragans silenced any lingering concerns about his performance. That was the good news in the Royals’ 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
“Just attacking a little bit better,” the left-handed pitcher said. “I had the deep counts early. But just making that adjustment mid-game ... I could get deeper into the game.”
The home runs — Ragans allowed three against the Braves — were down. And his strikeouts returned to a more optimal level: He recorded eight in 89 pitches in his second start of 2026.
Ragans gave the Royals a chance Thursday, for sure. But their offense — after scoring 13 runs Wednesday night — languished against Twins starting pitcher Taj Bradley.
Bradley kept the Royals off the scoreboard — he tossed six scoreless innings — and was aggressive in the strike zone. The Royals chased his 97 mph fastball and couldn’t take advantage of early scoring chances.
Royals outfielder Lane Thomas struck out with the bases loaded in the fourth. He worked a six-pitch sequence but was called out after checking his swing.
“I mean, compared to his last start, he was more fastball heavy than he was,” Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said of Bradley. “That probably would be the immediate thing, but we’ve seen him a few times. You know what he’s got. I mean, the stuff is really good. And you look at some of the metrics on the board, he is moving it around like crazy.
“But we had some opportunities and just didn’t cash in.”
Ragans (0-2) took his second loss in as many outings despite allowing just one run in six innings.
The Twins scored a run in the second frame. Kody Clemens came home after Royals catcher Salvador Perez sailed a pickoff attempt into center field. The ball bounced off second baseman Jonathan India’s glove.
“I don’t think it was a tough throw for him,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said of Perez. “It was an unfortunate result. I mean, he makes that throw all the time.”
Byron Buxton added a sacrifice fly for the visitors in the eighth. The Royals failed to mount a comeback, scoring their lone run on Vinnie Pasquantino’s sac fly in the bottom of the inning.
The Twins put an exclamation point on their series-ending victory with three home runs off KC reliever Steven Cruz in the ninth. Clemens, Matt Wallner and Josh Bell belted solo shots for the Twins (2-4).
The Royals (3-3) went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
Late lineup change for Royals
The Royals initially had rookie catcher Carter Jensen in the starting lineup. He was slated to catch Ragans and bat fifth in the order.
But Jensen was scratched minutes before first pitch. The Royals initially didn’t provide a reason for the change.
Perez started behind the plate while Lane Thomas played right field. This shifted Jac Caglianone into the designated hitter spot.
Jensen did end up playing in Thursday’s game, but only late. He caught the ninth inning after Perez was replaced on the base paths in the eighth.
Jensen has thus appeared in every game this season. He entered Thursday’s game hitting .125 (2-for-16) with a homer and two RBIs.
After the game, Quatraro said Jensen didn’t play after arriving late to the ballpark. He overslept and was scratched from the lineup.
Jensen vowed to learn from the mistake and not let it happen again.
“Definitely won’t happen again,” Jensen said. “It was tough just kind of owning up to it and apologizing to guys, you know, as I see them.”
What’s next: The Royals continue their six-game homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night at The K. Right-hander Michael Wacha will start opposite Brewers hurler Chad Patrick, with first pitch set for 6:45 p.m. Central Time.
This story was originally published April 2, 2026 at 4:27 PM.
