Royals shut out Orioles to take Game 1 of AL Wild Card Series

BALTIMORE — With six shutout innings and solely 80 pitches thrown, Cole Ragans exited the Kansas Metropolis Royals’ first playoff recreation in almost a decade with a grimace on his face. His left calf had cramped up, and whereas he might have returned for the seventh inning of his begin in opposition to the Baltimore Orioles, he had one thing else on his thoughts.

“I plan on having fairly just a few extra begins,” Ragans stated.

The Royals tacked three extra scoreless innings on high of Ragans’ dominant efficiency and used a sixth-inning RBI single from Bobby Witt Jr. to safe a 1-0 victory in Sport 1 of their wild-card sequence at Camden Yards in entrance of 41,506 on Tuesday. Within the first playoff recreation of Witt and Ragans’ careers — and the primary for Kansas Metropolis because it gained the 2015 World Collection — the Royals continued their turnaround from a 106-loss staff in 2023 to a probably harmful postseason out in 2024.

Ought to the Royals win one other recreation within the three-game sequence in opposition to the higher-seeded Orioles, they may advance to face the New York Yankees within the American League Division Collection on Saturday. Ragans stated he can be obtainable for his subsequent begin, which might doubtless come Monday within the second recreation of the division sequence.

The Orioles, in the meantime, should take the ultimate two video games of the sequence to keep away from a second consecutive postseason disappointment. Baltimore was swept in three video games final season by Texas, the eventual World Collection champion. To deal with a scarcity of pitching uncovered in that sequence, they traded for ace Corbin Burnes, who was virtually each bit pretty much as good as Ragans on Tuesday.

Over eight innings, Burnes allowed 5 hits and struck out three. His lone stroll led to his solely run allowed. Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia took a full-count cutter just a few inches off the within nook and stole second base. With Royals designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino on deck — he returned Tuesday after lacking a month with a damaged thumb — the Orioles elected to pitch to Witt. His floor ball by means of the left aspect of the infield left the bat at solely 88 mph however discovered a gap, accounting for the game-winning hit.

“I am letting Corbin Burnes, the best way he is throwing the baseball proper there, decide who he needs to go get,” Orioles supervisor Brandon Hyde stated.

Ragans adopted the run with a shutdown inning, his last one in an impressive efficiency during which he allowed simply 4 hits, did not stroll any, struck out eight and threw 60 of 80 pitches for strikes. It was merely a continuation of not simply Ragans’ September, during which he posted a 1.08 ERA over 4 begins, however his first full huge league season, during which the 26-year-old left-hander made the AL All-Star staff and struck out 223 in 186.1 innings.

“That is Cole Ragans,” Witt stated, “and he simply went on the market and did what he usually does.”

Sammy Lengthy, Kris Bubic and Lucas Erceg secured the ultimate 9 outs to place Kansas Metropolis in glorious place. Now the Royals flip to Ragans’ co-ace, Seth Lugo, with a watch on ending the Orioles in the identical manner they did in 2014. Baltimore was favored within the AL Championship Collection, however Kansas Metropolis swept the sequence in a quartet of shut video games.

“Any nook we have been backed into, we have come out on the precise aspect of issues,” stated right-hander Zach Eflin, Baltimore’s Sport 2 starter. “You recognize, as a lot because it hurts to lose the primary recreation, we nonetheless have two extra alternatives to win the sequence and proceed on. There’s no person hanging their head or something. We’re trying ahead to [Wednesday].”