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Pitcher Cole Ragans Leads Royals to 4-1 Victory Over Blue Jays
Royals' Cole Ragans made sure Kansas City wouldn't have two poor pitching nights in a row.
The Royals defeated the Blue Jays 4-1 on Tuesday night to even the current series at one apiece.
This was the second game of this series between these two ball clubs, as the Blue Jays took the first game 6-5 on Monday night. In that opening contest, Toronto got hot early and Kansas City had to play catch-up all evening.
However, on Tuesday night, the Royals were the only bats heating up at the beginning of the game, as second baseman Michael Massey's two-run, 404-foot homer (his first of the season) got the scoreboard working in Toronto.
The Blue Jays' hot start on Monday night was mainly due to Kansas City pitcher Jonathan Bowlan's rough time on the mound, as he was taken out of the game after just 2.2 innings. But Cole Ragans made sure the Royals wouldn't have two poor pitching nights in a row.
Ragans gave up a single to left fielder Davis Schneider in the second inning, but Toronto failed to record another hit until the sixth inning, as he threw six strikeouts and just one walk in that span. The Blue Jays were able to add two more hits in the inning, including a single by shortstop Bo Bichette which brought a run in to make the score 2-1. Fortunately, Ragans held strong and struck-out the next two batters to end the inning.
Nevertheless, Ragans proceeded to walk two consecutive batters with two outs in the seventh inning and manager Matt Quatraro decided that would be the end of his night. Overall, Ragans went 6.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits, three walks and threw nine strikeouts on 105 pitches—a very solid outing.
Like the Blue Jays, Kansas City's bats were practically ice cold from the third inning through the end of Ragans' time on the mound. But in the eighth inning, after third baseman Maikel Garcia singled and then stole second, shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. doubled to left and Garcia touched home plate to extend the lead. With practically all of the momentum on the Royals' side designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino followed this up with a double of his own to make the score 4-1.
From there, reliever John Schreiber and closer James McArthur took care of business in the eighth and ninth innings, as neither of them allowed a single player to reach first base.
