Published on September 28, 2023
Kansas City Royals left-hander Cole Ragans has emerged as a valuable asset since being acquired from the Texas Rangers and transitioning into a starting role. He’s poised to make his final appearance of the season in the series finale against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon, following the suspension of Wednesday’s game due to heavy rain.
Ragans arrived in Kansas City as part of the deal that sent reliever Aroldis Chapman to the Rangers. While he had made 17 relief appearances with Texas, Ragans has excelled as a starter in all 11 of his outings with the Royals. His impressive season boasts a 7-4 record and a 3.31 ERA, and he’s notched an impressive 81 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings of work.
In his most recent performance against the Houston Astros last Friday, Ragans displayed his prowess by limiting the potent Astros lineup to just two runs and three hits across six innings. Notably, he managed to keep the Astros hitless in eight opportunities with runners in scoring position.
Reflecting on his performance, Ragans commented, “I had a few walks, made some pitches when I needed to make a pitch. Offense was relentless once again, and giving me a four-run cushion there early helped me settle down.”
This outing followed a previous start against the same Astros team in which he had given up five runs. Manager Matt Quatraro praised Ragans for his resilience and ability to execute pitches when it mattered most.
Ragans had a brief encounter with the Tigers earlier this season when he pitched two-thirds of an inning in May, retiring both batters he faced.
For the Tigers, Sawyer Gipson-Long will make his fourth career start. The right-hander holds a 1-0 record with a 2.40 ERA. In his last outing against the Oakland Athletics, Gipson-Long showed promise by allowing just one run and four hits over five innings. He acknowledged the learning experience of facing pro hitters and emphasized the importance of moving on and executing the next pitch.
The suspension of Wednesday’s game will be remembered for preserving the 511th home run of Miguel Cabrera’s illustrious career. Cabrera, who has announced his retirement at the end of the season, delivered a solo home run in the second inning. The Tigers also received a pinch-hit three-run homer from Tyler Nevin in the fourth inning.
Despite the rain-interrupted game, the Tigers were on track to secure a victory behind the impressive performance of Tarik Skubal, who struck out eight Royals batters. However, the game will be concluded by relievers, leaving Skubal with a no-decision.
The Tigers have had success against the Royals this season, with an 8-3 record, securing the season series against all American League Central Division opponents. While the Royals entered this series on a six-game winning streak, the Tigers claimed the series opener with a 6-3 victory on Monday.
