Cole Ragans delivered another impressive performance on the mound, showing his potential once again, though it wasn’t quite enough to outpace the Diamondbacks, who took home a 3-2 victory on Tuesday. The Royals seemed ready to strike early against Arizona’s Merrill Kelly, as Maikel Garcia and Michael Massey both connected for singles in the opening inning. However, the Diamondbacks showed some defensive prowess, catching Garcia stealing and picking off Massey to quickly extinguish the Royals’ hopes of an early lead.
Ragans, however, was a highlight for Kansas City, displaying some serious chops by retiring 11 of the first 12 batters he faced. The fourth inning brought some drama when the Diamondbacks loaded the bases, and it looked as if Ragans allowed a run by walking Adrian del Castillo.
But fortune favored the bold, as Ragans successfully challenged the call, turning it into a critical strikeout to close the inning unscathed. Finishing his evening after four solid shutout innings, Ragans boasted five strikeouts and surrendered just a single walk.
As Lucas Erceg stepped up in relief, the momentum shifted. He conceded a leadoff double to Arizona’s prized prospect, Jordan Lawlar. A misplayed bunt and errant throw by Erceg opened the floodgates, allowing the Diamondbacks to capitalize with RBI singles from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Josh Naylor, putting them up 3-0.
The Royals weren’t out of the fight yet. In the sixth, Kyle Isbel’s single followed by Massey’s RBI hit got Kansas City on the scoreboard.
Massey had himself a game, going 3-for-3. Later, Drew Waters injected some life into the team with a leadoff triple in the eighth, scoring on a groundout by Luca Tresh to tighten the gap.
Despite a late push, the Royals struggled to maintain their baserunners, with Peyton Wilson being the last to be caught stealing in the ninth, sealing their fate as Arizona’s Kevin Ginkel shut the door on a comeback.
The bullpen saw some impressive outings too, with Steven Cruz and Evan Sisk each delivering scoreless innings, while Taylor Clarke navigated through some jams, walking two and giving up a hit but keeping the D-backs off the board. Nick Loftin continued to impress this spring with a 1-for-3 performance, while Luke Maile contributed with a double.
With this game in the rearview mirror, the Royals gear up to face the Mariners tomorrow at 3:10 PM CT, hoping to take the lessons learned in this close battle and turn them into a win.
