'We'll be back tomorrow': Ragans, Royals hopeful despite loss 

ANAHEIM -- Cole Ragans didn’t strike out an Angels batter until the third inning Saturday, atypical for the Royals’ hard-throwing starter who entered the night ranked third in the American League with an 11.4 K/9 and fifth with a 29.8% strikeout rate.

But it was an atypical night all around, as Ragans was charged with seven runs in 6 1/3 innings in the Royals’ 9-3 loss to the Angels at Angel Stadium. It was Ragans’ second clunky start of the season; he also allowed seven runs to Baltimore on April 20. The lefty has allowed three runs or fewer in his other seven starts this year.

“Just a little bit off,” manager Matt Quatraro said of Ragans. “His delivery looked a little out of whack, and I think it affected his command a little bit. But his stuff was good, and he got into a little bit of a groove there after the third to keep us in the game.”

The Royals had a chance to move into first place in the American League Central with a win on Saturday, and while that’ll have to wait for another day, they’re still 24-17 and a half-game out of first behind the Guardians.

They also have a chance to take the four-game series from the Angels in Sunday’s matinee with American League ERA-leader Seth Lugo (1.74) on the mound.

“We like our chances when Lugo goes out there,” Quatraro said. “We feel good about all our guys. This loss stings a little, but we’ll be back early tomorrow.”

Ragans didn’t have his best command early on, and the Angels were able to take advantage. Kevin Pillar led off the second with a triple that MJ Melendez couldn’t get a glove on in left field, and Niko Goodrum walked to put two batters on for Jo Adell, who crushed a slider for a three-run homer.

Ragans said the slider was going down and away where he wanted it. The walk to Goodrum was the more frustrating sequence.

“That shouldn’t happen,” Ragans said. “Walks hurt you, just like that. It’s a run -- obviously pretty frustrating.”

Ragans got Adell to two strikes, but the Angels right fielder hit the slider into center field for his seventh homer of the year and second in as many days against the Royals.

“When you have a guy that has command of that many pitches and moves it around the zone, you’re looking for your pitch and your zone really,” Adell said of facing Ragans. “And not trying to go out and do too much. I got the home run but the intent was just to hit the ball hard and hit it forward and move it on to the next guy.”

In the third, the Angels strung three soft hits together, and Ragans threw a wild pitch for another two runs. But Ragans settled down after that and got into the seventh inning.

“I just tried to go at guys,” Ragans said. ‘I had given up the runs in back to back innings, so at that point, it was just like, ‘Keep it there, give us a chance to come back.’”

After Ragans exited with two on and one out in the seventh inning, Nick Anderson allowed both inherited runners to score and two more runs in a big four-run inning.

One of those runs came on Kevin Pillar’s 69 mph single to right field after Anderson walked Taylor Ward --- another example of getting weak contact that found holes.

“That ball is, from where I’m sitting, a couple inches fair, and that’s a big difference in that game,” Quatraro said.

Ragans only registered 13 whiffs on 55 swings (24%), but 11 of those whiffs came from his changeup on 26 swings (42%), a new career high on that pitch. The Angels whiffed at just two other pitches -- a fastball and cutter.

“I think I just got to keep attacking,” Ragans said. “I made some pitches, got weak contact. But they just found the right spot. Just got to flush it and get ready for the next one.”

The Royals jumped out to an early lead on Salvador Perez’s RBI double, but Angels lefty starter Tyler Anderson, whose changeup also kept the Royals off balance, kept limiting the damage from there.

“We learn about that stuff [and are] going over it right now,” Bobby Witt Jr. said after going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases. “Talk about it and then move on whenever we leave. Flip the switch, go home, get some rest, get ready to get back here tomorrow.”