Ragans sinks in 6th inning to spoil historic strikeout night

HOUSTON -- For five innings, Cole Ragans was elite -- even historic.

But in a series with minimal run support, Ragans needed to be close to perfect -- and a five-run sixth inning spoiled that bid in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Kansas City’s offense struck out 12 times in seven innings against Houston starter Yusei Kikuchi, which didn’t help matters.

“Good for five [innings] and terrible for one,” Ragans said of his outing.

The Royals (75-62) remain 2 1/2 games behind the Guardians (77-59) for first place in the American League Central. They still hold the second AL Wild Card spot and are a game ahead of the Twins for the third and final position. All three teams lost Saturday.

In Houston’s first two trips through the order, Ragans struck out 10 and tied a club record with eight consecutive strikeouts between the first and third innings. With 197 strikeouts in 161 1/3 innings, the 26-year-old is tied for second in the Majors in K's this season, and has the most in a single season for a Royals left-hander.

But that swing-and-miss largely deserted Ragans in his third time through. The first five Astros all reached base in the sixth, highlighted by Yainer Diaz’ two-run single and Jeremy Peña’s subsequent two-run triple, which chased Ragans from the game.

“I don't play for records, I play to win,” Ragans said. “Records are cool, but all I want to do is win, in whichever way that comes. Obviously, I didn’t get that done tonight, and I feel like I let the guys down.”

So, what changed? According to Ragans, not much.

“I felt like I still filled [the strike zone] up,” Ragans said. “They just put some good swings on pitches.”

As manager Matt Quatraro saw it, the pivotal moment was a frustrating walk to Yordan Alvarez in the sixth, which came after Ragans had jumped ahead, 1-2, before narrowly missing the zone on a fastball and slider. That loaded the bases for Diaz.

“He was extremely sharp early,” Quatraro said. “The velo was up. His breaking balls -- slider, curveball, changeup -- were all working extremely well. Eight strikeouts in a row is phenomenal, especially against that team that puts the ball in play. Then the [sixth] … an 0-2 hit, hit batter, tough walk with some close pitches. … And then things kind of unraveled.”

Quatraro denied any link between Ragans’ pitching and his club’s hitting.

“I don't think that's crossing his mind,” Quatraro said of the limited run support. “He’s trying to do the best he can every time he takes the ball, whether we’re up, down or tied. We know it's going to be tough to score. [Kikuchi] has got good stuff. He’s throwing mid-to-upper 90s, with good movement on his fastball and slider. He's been on a good run.”

Whatever the case, it's a line Ragans wants to forget. For a rising star with a 3.46 ERA, allowing five runs in five-plus innings -- even with 10 K’s – is underwhelming. Yet, versus an opponent like the AL West-leading Astros (74-62), the Royals found encouragement as Ragans preps for his next start, which will likely come next weekend in a pivotal home series against Minnesota.

“He was dynamite,” said Bobby Witt Jr., who crushed his 29th homer of the season in the eighth. “It was just that one inning. He was dominating, pretty much from pitch one, and it was a lot of fun to see him do what he's doing. We've just got to get him some more runs.”

Kansas City has scored seven total runs in three losses to Houston this series, holding the lead for just one inning on Thursday. The Royals have yet to score before the seventh in any game this set.

Granted, some of those woes are beyond the club’s control. Slugging first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino is out for six to eight weeks after breaking his thumb during Thursday’s opener, and a trio of recently added veteran reinforcements (Tommy Pham, Robbie Grossman and Yuli Gurriel) aren’t available until at least Sunday.

Witt, and perhaps some newcomers, will lead the charge in the finale, looking to avoid Kansas City’s first sweep since June 21-23 at Texas.

“We acquired them because we wanted them here, and we hope they can help us,” Quatraro said of the additions. “But these guys [here Saturday], they come to play every day. We've gotten beat the last few days, and that’s not a reflection of their effort. The Astros are a good team, and they're throwing the ball extremely well, so they're tough to beat here.”

Witt added: “You wake up tomorrow and move on.”